Bollore Logistics in cancer awareness

Bollore Logistics, a transport and logistics firm, on Friday held a cancer awareness day to enlighten its employees on the dangers of the disease and how to prevent it.

During the day, the firm roped in Cancer Survivors Quest founder Chikhulupiliro Ng’ombe, who is also a cancer survivor, to share knowledge with the employees to understand the disease and how to manage it.

Two other cancer survivors based in Blantyre Jean Phelula, 64, and Dalo Kalimba, 26, also gave a talk on how they survived the disease and encouraged Bollore Logistics employees not to be afraid of the disease, saying it is curable if diagnosed at an early stage.

Speaking in an interview, the firm’s country manager Valery Djamby said the awareness, which is held every year locally and internationally, aimed at making sure that staff members understand the disease.

He said: “We do it every year in all our companies worldwide and in Africa. Mainly we want to make the employees understand and to be a bit more conscious, take precautions and some of the preventive actions shared by our guests.

“We also want to make sure that our staff members remain healthy. It is in the interest of our company and staff members and in the interest of the communities.”

During the event, the employees were given an opportunity ask questions to the cancers survivors and learnt how they endured the disease until they got cured.

In his presentation, Ng’ombe said his organisation, founded in 2011, provides psychosocial care to cancer patients, patient support, awareness, counselling and mobile screening clinics, among others.

“Our plan is to establish 10 cancer screening centres in the country. We usually depend on donations, support from groups and individuals and we also do fundraising activities,” he said.

Ng’ombe told Bollore Logistics employees not to be afraid of cancer, saying it is treatable in the country.