Janet Grace Choongo is considered at high risk for breast cancer. Her great-grandmother and grandmother both died of the disease.
Now a finalist in the 2010-2011 Miss Africa USA Pageant representing Miss Zambia USA, Choongo, a student at Mississippi University for Women, has chosen breast-cancer awareness as her platform.
“Watching my grandmother confront and combat her disease inspired me to educate as many African women as possible about early detection, education, and awareness because no one should ever have to experience what she experienced,” said Choongo, who is originally from Zambia, Africa but currently resides in Jackson.
To continue her efforts, Choongo has organized a “Dance Around the World for a Cure” event Friday at 6 p.m. at Rent Auditorium on the MUW campus.
The event will feature international dances and fashion shows; admission is free, but donations are encouraged.
“I am raising money for treatment for an orphaned Zambian girl who has been diagnosed with breast cancer and the ”Think Pink Africa Campaign,”” Choongo said.
In Africa, there is very little information about cancer and a lack of treatment facilities, she noted, adding there also are “limited resources and lack of infrastructures to organize screening programs.”
“I want to bring a change to this serious subject matter by bringing awareness and education, encourage women to seek preventative measures such as mammograms and self-exams,” Choongo said. “I also want to create positive relationships with sponsors and volunteers because I believe that early prevention leads to a cure.
“My pageant experience will not only give me the opportunity to represent my country Zambia and the continent of Africa, but also the state of Mississippi as a whole. ”
Choongo is senior at The W pursuing a bachelor”s degree in legal studies. She also plans to attend law school.
For more information on the Dance Around the World for a Cure event, contact Choongo at 601-594-3272 or [email protected].
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