Miss Coral Sea Resort Gladys Habu, a contestant in this year’s Miss Solomon Islands Pageant (MISP) is advocating for breast and cervical cancer in the country.
As part of highlighting the issue she is raising funds for the cancer unit at the National Referral Hospital (NRH).
The theme for this year’s pageant show is ‘Advancing women in leadership and stewardship’ which provides a platform for the contestants to advocate on the issues affecting women and girls in the country which motivates them to join the show.
Miss Coral Sea Resort Miss Gladys Habu was an honors degree graduate in pharmacy at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. She currently works as an intern pharmacist at NRH.
She said her motivation to join this year’s MSIP show is to advocate for breast and cervical cancers.
“I join this platform to be a voice for women’s issue more especially to those women who are battling cancer more specifically on breast and cervical cancers seeing that they are the leading two main causes of death among women here in the Solomon Islands who have cancers.
“I really want to speak up on behalf of them as I’ve noticed as a pharmacist the drugs or Chemotherapy are not really accessible and affordable as yet but with the cancer unit now being one year’s old we are hoping that we will continue and enhance it and make sure that more drugs are available for the vast majority here in the Solomon islands,’’ she said.
“I would also like to educate women and girls so that they know on what changes to look for in their body so that cancer can be detected early and then treatment can work effectively.
“Throughout my journey on this platform I’m hoping to raise funds and 100 percent of the funds I raise will be dedicated towards the NRH cancer unit,” she said.
Currently at NRH the unit is in need of funds to install the Lamina flow cabinet which is used to manufacture chemotherapy drugs so that the patients get a safest efficient medication,’ said Miss Habu.
She also encourages other young women in the country who have the gifts and talents to advocate on issue that affect women and girls.
“Many girls have the capability to address issues affecting women and girls in our societies but they just shy and just hold themselves back in doing it.
“I encourage them to come out of their comfort zones and give it a try and make themselves visible to the outside world in whatever platforms they have,’’ said Miss Habu.
She also thanked her sponsors and families and her chaperone for being very supportive to her in her preparations for the upcoming pageant show and for believing in her and the issues she wants to advocate on during the course of the pageant show.
Resort Manager of the Coral Sea resort Annie Marie Day said they are very happy to sponsor Gladys for the pageant show because they see the importance of addressing cancer in the country.
“We are happy and proud to support Gladys for the event because she advocates for cancer and we see this as good opportunity to give back to the community.
“Cancer is growing in every country and population and we see it as a very important to get behind and support her as she advocates on cancer issues.
“Gladys passionate about her work and she is a prime example to girls in the Solomon Islands that they can do something when they are passionate about what they do,’’ said Ms Day.
She added that she lost her mother because of cancer and the owner of the Coral Sea Resort also passed away of cancer that’s why they feel it’s a big thing to help advocate against cancer.
The pageant show will be staged on two consecutive days on Friday 1st November and Saturday 2nd November 2019.
By BRYAN LUVENA
