Training award for cancer awareness programme

The Award, which recognises outstanding achievement and success through training and development, was presented at a gala ceremony in Belfast City Hall.

The Women’s Resource and Development Agency (WRDA) targets women living in areas of social need and those with learning disabilities and mental health problems in the Eastern Health and Social Services Board (EHSSB) area. They deliver jargon-free information in a safe and supportive environment.

Research by the Disability Rights Commission suggests that less than one in five women with four times more likely to die from a treatable illness than other patients.

Success of peer education

Traditional approaches of encouraging marginalised women to come forward for screening tend to be less effective in disadvantaged communities. The training programme which lifted the Award has seen 15 facilitators trained to deliver learning workshops to women’s and community groups across the area and has proven that peer education is successful in increasing women’s uptake of screening.

Liz Curran, Operations Manager, WRDA, said: “This unique programme has been delivered to over 150 women and is now being rolled out across the EHSSB area over a three year period.”

The project is a partnership between statutory and voluntary bodies. The WRDA is the lead organisation and is supported by The Eastern Health Board, Trusts within the Eastern Health Board, Action Cancer and the Ulster Cancer Foundation. The project was made possible with funding from the Big Lottery Fund.

Congratulating WRDA on its success, Employment and Learning Minister, Angela Smith, said: “Through investing in training, the WRDA is making a real impact on the community it serves. I commend this worthwhile programme which has been recognised as a major success story and netted a prestigious National Training Award.”