Destination: radiotherapy - From Malawi to Kenya, two women's journey to survive cervical cancer

In this 19' mini-film, Chimwemwe and Nessie, two Malawian patients diagnosed with cervical cancer, recount their journey through the treatment process and the trip to Kenya for radiotherapy.

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women worldwide and, despite being preventable, detectable and treatable, it kills hundreds of thousands of women each year. In the landlocked country of Malawi in East Africa, over 4,000 Malawian women fall sick with cervical cancer every year. With 2,905 deaths due to cervical cancer in 2020, the country also has the second highest rate of mortality globally after Eswatini.
In Malawi, since 2018, MSF runs a cervical cancer project focused on providing effective, feasible, and high impact care to prevent and treat cervical cancer through a comprehensive program which includes screening, consultations, specialized surgery and palliative care for advanced-stage patients. Radiation therapy, considered to be the first-line treatment for cervical cancer, is currently unavailable in Malawi, though two radiotherapy projects (non-MSF) are ongoing and aim to be operational by 2024. MSF has therefore set up a temporary referral system for certain cervical cancer patients, sending them to Kenya for radiotherapy. The documentary recounts the journeys of the patients through the treatment process and their trip to Kenya for radiotherapy.