From Orphan to Educator - Brenda Adoyo's Story

Our goal to help people find breast cancer in early stages is possible through educators that share our materials around the world. One of our educators, Brenda Adoyo, used the Know Your Lemons education materials to educate rural villages and schools about breast cancer in Kenya. This is her story.

What motivates you to teach about breast cancer?

After the death of my parents, my family abandoned my two siblings and I. We ended up in an orphanage (Seeds in His Garden Children’s Home In Kenya) and had the opportunity to go to school in the Netherlands. In the process I realized that knowledge and education is freedom. So many people have contributed and continue to contribute to my life here in the Netherlands, so I decided to give back to my community. Not many boys and girls are as lucky as I am.

I began a foundation to help young girls from my village access sanitary pads so they could go to school. As a young girl growing up in the village, I did not have anything to use. We used all sorts of things we could get, banana leaves, pieces of clothes, pieces of papers, feathers etc. some girls decided to prostitute themselves leading to increase in HIV infections, teenage pregnancy, drop outs, illiteracy etc. I believe that every girl deserves a fair a chance at education and on this basis, I started a foundation to support education for young girls and boys.

In the process of teaching menstrual health, I learned that breast cancer (or cancer in general) has become big problem in Kenya. We have a lot of late diagnoses, incorrect diagnoses and some people do not have the opportunity to go to the hospital because they do not have the financial resources to make this happen. I lost my aunt to breast cancer but I did not know she died of breast cancer. It is a taboo and was a taboo to talk about reproductive organs. I only learned of my aunts passing from breast cancer last year when I started the breast cancer project. I was shocked.

This realization was a trigger to start a breast cancer project in Kenya. I realized, with information, the women are better equipped to take care of themselves and have themselves checked on time.

What Brenda Did with Know Your Lemons

“Brenda’s Breast Cancer Project” educated 200 boys and girls, 40 cancer survivors and patients, and 40 female entrepreneurs. Brenda started in Rangwe, a mixed secondary school in Homabay country, Rangwe Village. Here she distributed menstrual cups and had a cancer awareness talk with the aim of creating a health program in the school. In most of the Kenyan villages it’s still a taboo to talk about the reproductive system, sex or cancer. Most of the young boys and girls are not well informed about health or menstrual management. Brenda’s efforts resulted in a health program to educate the boys and girls within and around the school.

Brenda educating school children in Rangwe Village.

Brenda educated in Jaramogi Oginga Odinga (General hospital) in Kisumu City, working together with Beyond cancer foundation, a community based organization that gives emotional support to cancer patients and cancer survivors. She offered the members of the organizations knitted prosthesis and a workshop on how to self-exam using the Know Your Lemons posters.

Notable Moment: 

After showing the Know Your Lemons posters to a group of 40 women entrepreneurs, three women explained that they had lumps but did not know what they were. They went for testing at the local hospital and discovered the lumps were actually tumors in need of urgent attention.

In the process of teaching menstrual health, Brenda learned that breast cancer has become big problem in Kenya. “We have a lot of late diagnosis, incorrect diagnosis and some people do not have the opportunity to go to the hospital because they do not have the financial resources to make this happen. I lost my aunt to breast cancer but I did not know she died of breast cancer. It is a taboo and was a taboo to talk about...I learned of my aunts passing from breast cancer only last year when I started the breast cancer project. I was shocked.”

This is what brought Brenda to Know Your Lemons as a means to educate in Kenya, “I realized, with information, the women are better equipped to take care of themselves and have themselves checked on time.”

Brenda with the Women Entrepreneurs group holding the Know Your Lemons posters. It was during this session that 3 women discovered they had a symptom of breast cancer.

Brenda’s foundation can be found here: chanceateducation.nl