Protecting Our Mothers, Sisters, and Daughters

By Dipa Kuikel, Didi Mentor, Rukmini Foundation

On June 18, I went to Panchakanya Secondary School. We organized a cervical cancer awareness program there. Sixty-six women and students came. Some were mothers. Some were young girls in Grades 9 and 10.

Kanchan Budathoki Didi came from Patan Hospital to lead the session. She is a nurse. She knows a lot about women's health. She explained what cervical cancer is, what causes it, and how we can prevent it.

She told us that most cervical cancer is caused by HPV—a virus that many women don't even know about. She said that regular screening can find the disease early, and early treatment works much better.

She also talked about the warning signs. Abnormal bleeding. Unusual discharge. Pain in the pelvic area. Pain during intercourse. Many women don't know these are signs of something serious. That is why programs like this are so important.

The women asked many questions. They shared their own experiences. Some of them had never talked about these things before. But in that room, they felt safe to ask.

After the session, Kanchan Didi checked everyone's blood pressure for free. Then we distributed some basic medicines. Paracetamol for fever. Pantop for gastric. Meftal for period pain. Diclofenac for back pain. Deworming tablets too.

The women told us about their health problems. Asthma. Diabetes. High blood pressure. Knee pain. They came hoping for help. We could not solve everything, but we could listen and give them something to ease their pain.

Why This Matters for Our Community

Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers among women in Nepal. But many women do not know about it until it is too late. They don't go for screening. They don't talk about their symptoms. They suffer in silence.

When we teach women about their own bodies, we give them power. When we check their blood pressure and give them medicine, we show them that their health matters.

This program is connected to our bigger mission. When women are healthy, their families are healthy. When mothers know about prevention, they can teach their daughters. And when daughters grow up knowing how to care for their bodies, they break the cycle of silence.

What I Will Remember

I will remember the faces of the women who came that day. Some walked a long distance to be there. Some came because they were worried about their health and wanted to ask questions but had nowhere else to go. When Kanchan Didi spoke, they listened carefully. When we handed out medicine, they said thank you with such warmth.

One thing was clear—they wanted to learn. They wanted to take care of themselves. They just needed someone to give them the information and the support.

That is what this program did. It gave 66 women knowledge they did not have before. It gave them medicine to treat their pain. And it showed them that their health is important—not just to them, but to us.

Cervical cancer is preventable. But women cannot prevent something they do not know about. Now these 66 women know. And they will tell others.

This is how change starts—one woman, one conversation, one health check at a time.

With gratitude,
Dipa Kuikel
Didi Mentor, Rukmini Foundation