TogetHER is excited to present this guest blog by Moonshine Agency’s Sue Collins and Kristina Roach.

On a mission to help change the the lives millions of women around the globe, a team of filmmakers set out to capture the most incredible health story of our time.  The story of conquering cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer continues to kill more than 300,000 women every year, but it no longer has to be this way. Prevention is possible and cervical cancer can be eliminated.

If the tools that prevent cervical cancer an be leveraged, it’s estimated that the lives of 62 million women can be saved.

And so the filmmakers are asking: how will the world rise up to meet this challenge?

Turning the cervical cancer elimination dream into a reality is a monumental endeavour.

But it’s a hopeful journey that longtime public health advocate (and aforementioned filmmakers) Moonshine Agency is capturing through Conquering Cancer, a global social impact campaign that has been created in partnership with some of the world’s leading cancer control organisations including the American Cancer Society, the UICC and Cancer Council Australia.

The aim of the campaign is to propel change by supporting the World Health Organization’s cervical cancer elimination targets through a three-pronged approach of vaccination, screening and treatment.

While these prevention programs have proved lifesaving, not every woman has been granted equal access and the outcomes for this type of cancer remain devastating.

What’s more, the fight against cervical cancer has been considerably clouded by the coronavirus pandemic, which has only put more lives at risk.

Since launching in March 2021, Conquering Cancer has been encouraging countries, NGOs and communities to join the existing movement and urgently introduce HPV vaccination of girls and timely cervical cancer screening of women in their region.

It’s also been calling on age-eligible women to prioritise their cervical health, to champion the HPV vaccination for adolescents, and to advocate for Conquering Cancer in their communities and across social media.

Having spoken to women living around the world, from Australia, Malaysia, Colombia, the USA and Zambia, Moonshine Agency is now encouraging others to share their experiences of cervical cancer through the campaign, too.

As advocacy partners like TogetHER for Health know, our collective voices can influence policymakers across the globe to take action on cervical cancer elimination and in doing so, prevent up to 62 million women from losing their lives prematurely to this treatable disease.

Nine out of every 10 women who die of cervical cancer live in low and middle income countries but these women are no more susceptible to cervical cancer than women residing in the developed world. They simply don’t have equal access to the screening and treatment programs.

Eliminating cervical cancer is a huge moonshot but it is achievable – and if it can be pulled off, just imagine what can be done for other cancers in the future?

Conquering Cancer comprises a series of short films, written and visual communications and a feature documentary releasing this August. Each piece shares a triumphant message: through political and financial commitment from the global community, we can overcome the impossible and eliminate cervical cancer for the next generation.

You don’t have to be an influencer or work in public health to get behind the campaign.

There are many ways to get involved, but the top 3 are:

• Pledge to host a screening of Conquering Cancer for your place of work, school, community, family or friends.

Host an event

• Join Conquering Cancer on social media.

YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram

• Tell a friend about the campaign by sharing this post.

Because encouraging the people in your life to follow and engage with Conquering Cancer will strengthen the movement and drive change.