On August 29-30, 2019, the Kitengesa Community Library hosted its third health camp for adult women. The funds for this camp and for the last one in 2018 were donated by the Heidi Paoli Fund, so, because of the Fund’s interest in the care of cancer patients, the two camps focused on cancer—appropriately since cancer, especially of the cervix and the breast, now kills more people in Uganda than even malaria. The Marie Stopes Clinic, located nearby in Masaka town, provided professional help: the doctor who directs the clinic spoke to the participants about cancer and answered questions, and two nurses offered screening to anyone who wanted it for HOV, the viral infection that leads to cervical cancer; the library’s computer room was turned into a temporary clinic for the purpose. Thirty-one people attended the camp, including twenty who had never been to the library before, and twenty-six were screened. Aside from the doctor’s talk and the screenings, the library set up board games for the women to play that were designed to reinforce the information, and they also, led by one of the librarians, played a cancer-focused version of Jeopardy. Despite the fact that the rainy season had just begun and the women were anxious to work in their gardens, they appreciated the camp and were unanimous in asking us to organize more in future about other health issues.
