Grace Mugabe happy with cancer fight in Zambia

The First Lady Grace Mugabe has said she is impressed with the progress being made by the Zambian Government in the fight against cancer cases.

Mrs Mugabe who toured the Cancer Hospital with her Zambian counterpart, Dr Christine Kaseba, said the setting up of the Cancer Hospital by the Zambian Government was a good initiative as it would allow a lot of people access screening and treatment on time.

The Cancer Hospital is situated at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH).

"I must say I am impressed with Government's initiative to set up a cancer hospital because it will allow our women to get immediate attention. It might not be enough but it will help go a long way," Mrs Mugabe said.

She said the opening of the Cancer Hospital would also help other women in Africa to access treatment as the hospital, which was still

undergoing more infrastructural development, would become one of the biggest cancer centres on the continent.

She urged the Zambian Government to ensure the centre had enough skilled manpower to run the institution.

And Dr Kaseba who together with her entourage also visited the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) premises opposite UTH, said her office would help to assist two women who narrated their gender-based violence experiences at the hands of their husbands recently.

At YWCA, the First Ladies heard how two ladies, Sellina Banda, 56, and Emma Kapandula, 31, narrated how they suffered at the hands of their

husbands. The abuse of the two ended up in divorce after marriages of 33 and 16 years, respectively.

She said what Ms Banda and Ms Kapandula revealed should not be allowed to continue because it brought so much trauma to the children, the victims and the entire family.

And both First Ladies have since appealed to married women not to entirely depend on their husband's wealth but try to do something for

themselves in an event that they were divorced in order to be stable and continue supporting their children.

They also asked the victims not to relent in their prayers and ensure that women also offered help to support each other.

YWCA Director, Patricia Njovu appealed to the First Ladies to help the Association financially because it depended on handouts from well wishers.

The two First Ladies also donated an assortment of items to YWCA.

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