Educate. Advocate. Support.
Supporting the health of Black women through education, advocacy, and awareness.
The Oshun Charitable Organization (OCO) provides information about ovarian cancer to Black women. The OCO’s awareness campaigns partner with women in their communities to provide lifesaving, critical health information. While knowledge is power, we understand the systemic barriers faced within medical institutions. Our advocacy campaigns are rooted in pushing for more early detection testing of ovarian cancer.
Educate: Awareness Campaigns
Our goal is to provide information about the symptoms of ovarian cancer so that Black women feel empowered and armed with information when visiting their doctors. As more Black women recognize the very subtle symptoms of ovarian cancer and feel more comfortable discussing these symptoms with their doctors, our hope is that more women will be tested, and the cancer will be caught at an earlier stage.
Advocate: Ovarian Cancer Screening
Presently, there is not screening for ovarian cancer. The disease is often asymptomatic in its earliest stages and when symptoms are present, the cancer has spread to other, more distant organs in the body. Most reproductive cancers are discovered during a pelvic/ultrasound exam. However, insurance does not cover all exams without a diagnosis.
The Oshun Charitable Organization partners with hospitals and community centers that serve Black women to provide educational materials about ovarian cancer for patients. We also advocate for early testing with doctors who work with Black women who are lower-income and underinsured.
Support: Women Post-Diagnosis
For black women who have been diagnosed with a reproductive cancer, the news can be understandably devastating. The Oshun Charitable Organization is committed to providing financial resources for women to receive testing, transportation to treatment facilities, and food support (if needed).
“When women take care of their health, they become their own best friend.”
— Maya Angelou