The Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Church (SMMC) of Ho Diocese are marking the first anniversary of the Veil of Hope Cancer Care Campaign (VOHCCC) under the Mother’s HopenCare NGO. A year-long outreach that has brought cancer education, screening, and referral services to parishes, schools, and communities across the Ho, Jasikan, and Keta-Akatsi areas.
The campaign was launched on 8th September, 2025 by the SMMC Superior General, Sr. Dr. Lucy Hometowu, SMMC, during the Silver and Ruby Jubilee anniversaries of some of the Sisters. Its goals are to raise awareness of breast, cervical and prostate cancers, reduce stigma around the disease, promote early detection, and offer psychological support to patients and their families.
Over the past year, four outreach teams operating in the Ho, Jasikan and Keta-Akatsi Dioceses have screened hundreds of women and men, referred confirmed and suspected cases to Catholic and government hospitals, and raised funds from more than 130 individual and institutional donors to support the initiative and the treatment of survivors.
The institute of the SMMC has walked “the painful road of cancer” with four of its own members: three Sisters who have died, and one who survived the disease. The Veil of Hope campaign grew out of that experience into what the institute describes as “a ministry of hope, remembrance, and healing,” rooted in compassion and inspired by faith. It aims to build a sustainable outreach programme that educates communities, supports cancer patients spiritually and emotionally, and advocates for early screening and affordable healthcare.
This mission is fueled by love, guided by mercy, and driven by the belief that no one should face cancer alone or too late. The objectives of the mission are to;
● Honour the memory of the Sisters who passed on
● Promote education on the early warning signs and symptoms of various cancers
● Provide spiritual and emotional support to cancer patients and their families
● Collaborate with medical institutions for screening camps, especially in underserved communities
● Encourage faith and resilience in the face of illness
● Partner with other organisations to support the medical bills of survivors through the healing process.
Following the launch, the campaign received financial support from well over 130 individuals, parishes, hospitals, businesses and church groups. SMMC is grateful to God “for touching the heart of many people of goodwill” who supported the campaign financially.
FOUR TEAMS, FOUR DIOCESES
To run the campaign effectively, the Superior General appointed Sr. Bernice Gbegbeawu, SMMC and Sr. Mary Consolata Ntenye, SMMC, as coordinators. The coordinators organised four outreach teams. The Ho Diocese fielded two teams, while the Jasikan and Keta-Akatsi Dioceses fielded one each. Team sizes ranged from six to ten members depending on the number of Sisters available in an area and its size, and health professionals from local health facilities joined the teams for their outreach visits.
The Ho Team One operated at Vakpo, Anfoega, Sovia, Kpando, Alavayor, Logba, Liaty, Ve-Golokwati, Leklebi and Fodome and was led by Sr. Magdalene Toffah; Ho Team Two was at Have, Nyangbo, Ho and its environs, Peki, Shia and its environs, Kpetoe and Ziope and led by Sr. Regina Korkoryi; the Jasikan Diocese and Hohoe team, led by Sr. Comfort Ashinyo, operated at Jasikan Diocese, Likpe and its environs, Lolobi and its environs, while the Keta-Akatsi team, led by Sr. Pauline Tenge, operated within the Kea-Akatsi Diocese
Before campaigns began, the organisers liaised with the Superior General and organised orientation sessions for team leaders and members, including staff from partner health facilities, covering VOHCCC’s concept note and a clinical presentation delivered by a doctor. Once underway, each outreach centred on: creating awareness of breast, cervical and prostate cancer among congregations; educating communities on the causes, risk factors, signs, symptoms and prevention of common cancers; highlighting the importance of regular screening and vaccination; and encouraging healthy lifestyle practices that reduce cancer risk and screening exercises.
The campaign slogan is: “SMMC Veil of Hope Cancer Care Campaign…
Catch it early, treat it right, survive it”.
Ho Diocese Team One
Ho Team One, led by Sr. Magdalene Toffah, launched its outreach on 26th April at St. Clare Parish, Kpando, and addressed a congregation of about 150 men, 350 women, and 25 children.
The team returned on May 10 to the Immaculate Conception Parish, Kpando, reaching out to about 30 men, 100 women and 25 children, and again on 17th May to the St. Augustine’s Parish, Alavanyo and addressed 40 men, 110 women, and 20 children.
Further outreach followed at the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto, Kpando Agbenoxoe, during the Catholic Women’s Grotto celebration on 14th June and at the Kpando Evangelical Presbyterian Church on 22nd June. Cases detected across these visits were referred to the Margaret Maquart Catholic Hospital, Kpando, Anfoega Catholic Hospital, and other health facilities closer to those affected.
Ho Diocese Team Two
Ho Team Two, led by Sr. Regina Korkoryi, began on 1st March at OLA Senior High School, reaching over 700 female students. On 29th March, the team visited St. Michael Catholic Church, Matse, and St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Taviefe, where 17 successful breast and cervical screenings were carried out.
On 10th May, the team screened 32 women at the St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Dzemeni, followed by six (6) screenings at the Holy Cross Catholic Church, Have, on 31st May. On 22nd August, during the 13th Diocesan Congress of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal at the St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Ho Kpevele, 20 women received breast screening.
The team screened a further 20 women for breast cancer at the Hour of Preparation Ministry, Ho-Kpenoe, on 28th August, and 30 more at St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Sokode-Gbogame, on August 29. A total of 125 women were screened by the team. Cases detected during these outreaches were referred to Ho Teaching Hospital and Mater Ecclesiae Catholic Hospital.
Jasikan Diocese Team
The Jasikan Diocesan team, led by Sr. Comfort Ashinyo, opened its campaign on 14th May at the Nchumuruman Community Senior High School, Chinderi, addressing about 300 boys and girls and screening 60 girls. The following day, at Kakraka, the team met 47 people: 44 women and three (3) men, screening 22 women and detecting one case.
On 16th May, at Borae No. 2 at the St. Patrick Catholic Church, the team engaged students of St. Agnes Girls’ Senior High School alongside the wider community, a total of 57 people: 54 women and three (3) men. Of the 54 women screened, one case was found. Across this leg of the campaign, 404 people took part in total, with 136 females screened; detected cases were referred to St. Luke’s Catholic Hospital, Chinderi, for further investigation and treatment.
The team returned to the field from 3rd to 5th August for a push across the Jasikan and Guan Districts. On 3rd August, it visited Fr. Dogli Memorial Technical Institute, addressing 406 students (285 boys, 121 girls), and screening 56 students and a staff member. On 4th August, the team combined a radio broadcast on Sekpele FM and a talk and screening exercise at Likpe Senior High School, reaching out to 508 students (285 females, 223 males) and 68 staff (48 teaching, 20 non-teaching); 65 students and two (2) staff members were screened, and three cases were detected. One of those affected already knew of her condition; the other two were new cases, and the school’s management was notified, and the team took parents’ contacts for follow-up.
On 5th August, the team reached Bueman Senior High School, Jasikan, whose student population stands at about 1,926 (1,132 females, 794 males). Ninety-six students and two staff were screened, and seven students were found with lumps in the breast; one was already aware of her condition, and the other six were new cases. During the team’s report to the school’s Management, the Senior Housemistress raised concern that some parents might be unable to afford treatment and could instead turn to traditional medication, and asked that the team be available to support affected families if called upon.
Across the full Jasikan and Guan push, the team reached out to over 2,000 students and staff and screened 222 females in total. The team noted that a large part of the public still has limited knowledge of the disease, and encouraged students and teachers to visit nearby hospitals for further examination.
Again, on 4th September, the team reached the grounds of the Diocesan Catholic Charismatic Renewal Congress at Abotoase and delivered its campaign talk, demonstrating to the congregation how to do the self-breast examination.
Throughout the outreach, the team relied on the postulancy’s car; because of its limited capacity, some members had to travel by public transport.
Keta-Akatsi Team
The Keta-Akatsi team, led by Sr. Pauline Tenge, held its first outreach on 28th April at Dzodze Roman Catholic Basic School, offering breast cancer screening to interested participants and consultations for those with health complaints; teachers were advised to visit St. Anthony Catholic Hospital, Dzodze, for cervical cancer screening.
On 29th April, the team continued at Afife Evangelical Presbyterian School with further education sessions, breast cancer screening and referral services. In total, the team reached 36 female teachers, screened 21 for breast cancer, and referred seven (7) for mammograms. The team referred detected cases to the Sacred Heart Catholic Hospital, Abor, and the St. Anthony Catholic Hospital, Dzodze, for further investigation.
The total number of women screened was 368 throughout the year.
Marking the campaign’s first year, SMMC expressed gratitude to its donors, health workers, Parish Priests, Parish Pastoral Councils and drivers who have supported the outreach. The NGO hopes to continue this outreach as long as life will permit, but this cannot be achieved without financial support. Mother’s Hopen Care NGO is appealing to all people of goodwill to help fund continued education, awareness and support for those already living with cancer. It also appeals for vehicles to facilitate the teams’ movement across their outreach areas.
All Support should be channelled to the accounts below:
ACCOUNT NAME: MOTHER’S HOPENCARE CANCER FUND
BANK: GCB BANK PLC
BRANCH: HO MARKET, HO
ACCOUNT NUMBER: 5261010065869
MOMO: SMMC NUMBER: 0540307013
CONTACT PERSON: SR. BERNICE GBEGBEAWU,SMMC (COORDINATOR)
PHONE NUMBER: 0242210622
“Behind every veil, there is a story of courage.”
By: Sr. Angela Amoatwo, SMMC
(Catholic Sister Communicators Network-Ghana, CASCON-GH)
