In a bid to help support people who have been affected by cancer and its effects, Vincent Tiro, a.k.a Steez, is helping the Cancer Association of Botswana (CAB) with its fundraising initiative called “Shavathon”.
“Shavathon” is an annual event by CAB.
This year, it is going to take place on the 28th May from 9am until 5pm at Riverwalk Mall, Maun Spar, Galo Centre in Francistown and Serowe Spar.
“At the Shavathon, we are ‘Daring People to Go Bare’, hence people will choose to colour, spray or shave their head in support of cancer patients, survivors or in memory of those who have lost the battle against cancer,” said Tiro.
He stated that cancer patients often lose their hair during chemotherapy and by shaving their heads, people show an open way of supporting them.
Chemotherapy is a general term for treatments that are used to target and kill rapidly dividing cancer cells. The treatment comes with side effects, which may include, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation and hair loss.
According to the Ministry of Health, the total number of cancer cases registered in Botswana from the year 1998-2008 was 11363. A total of 6164 were females and 5199 were males, while children stood at 492.
8379 patient managed to survive and 2931 lost their lives. Tobacco use, alcohol abuse, physical inactivity and unhealthy diets have been considered to be the highest risk factors.
┬á“I was keen to come on board because I’m well aware of the fact that cancer is amongst the top 3 leading causes of deaths in Botswana amongst HIV/AIDS and TB. The unfortunate thing about cancer is that, not every day you hear people taught about it to show they are well aware of it as a killer as they would talk of HIV/AIDS and TB.”
“This on its own shows that there is a lot that needs to be done to raise the level of awareness of issues of prevention, its effects, medication and all other cancer related issues. I felt challenged to play my part through this “Shavathon” initiative to help raise the much needed cancer awareness and also in the process give back to the community as an entertainer because I do it on a voluntary basis.”
“I have pledged donation forms from the association. If anybody is interested in making a donation, which is P50 or more, they can visit my face book page, “Steez Mochine o Ichenchang”, and follow the simple steps which are always readily visible on my wall,” said Tiro.
The main sponsors of the event are Spar, The Voice Newspaper, Duma Fm and Riverwalk Mall.
