ASRT has been implementing a breast cancer focused project called the AKAZI project in
collaboration with the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland and the Malawi Ministry of Health
(MoH) with funding from the Irish Research Foundation.
The key activities and output from the AKAZI project:
Development of a Clinical Breast Cancer Examination (CBE) Training Manual
One of the key outputs of the AKAZI project was to support MoH, with the production of the
clinical breast examination (CBE) training manual. Led by Dr Kondwani Chalulu of KUHeS, the
manual has been developed as a complete package on how to perform a CBE with elements on
timely referral procedures and quality assurance in breast cancer care. The manual has been
designed as a practical guide for primary service providers and can also to be used by students in
tertiary training institutions. It intends to improve on knowledge, attitudes and best practices in
performing a CBE and can therefore be used by program managers to provide employees with
tools to be effective in their clinical roles.
Training Health Surveillance Assistants on breast cancer examination
Under the AKAZI project ASRT organized a three day training programme in February 2023 for
Health Surveillance Assistants on the key messages developed for the breast cancer awareness.
The project developed community mobilization and dissemination of breast cancer key
messages. The training aimed at improving the quality of clinical breast examination in primary
care providers thereby enhancing early detection of breast cancer and other breast
conditions with appropriate and timely referral to specialized clinics for diagnosis and treatment.
The training focused on Health Surveillance Assistants as they play a crucial role in facilitating
demand creation and service delivery. The training aimed at creating awareness about breast
cancer and the important role clinical examination provides for its early detection in the targeted
health facilities. A total of 148 HSAs and other health workers from 7 health facilities in
Blantyre were trained.
Mentorship and supervision program on AKAZI project
ASRT under the Akazi project conducted a seven day mentorship and supervision program to
ensure quality and effectiveness of the program and to track progress of the program. A total of 7
health facilities were visited in the targeted 7 facilities and at least 2 providers were mentored at
each facility.
