Heritage

Eyes on Sun City tour as Pan Africa Cancer Challenge closes

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Joel Githanda of Nyeri Golf Club during the Pan Africa Life Golf tournament on April 27, 2014. Many men are turning up for screening during the tourneys. PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI |

Friday, the Pan Africa Life Cancer Challenge golf championship series comes to a close at the Karen Country Club; a total of five qualifiers from each of the six host counties will be battling for the two slots to participate in the Sanlam Cancer Challenge that takes place at the Sun City Golf Resort in South Africa for days from October 20.

This edition is the second of this annual charitable golf series, supported by Pan Africa Life.

The series was first played in 2013, as part of the Sanlam Cancer Challenge held in South Africa. The insurer says its CSR policy focuses on education, environment and caring for the community, under which the Cancer Challenge falls.

The company has partnered with the Africa Cancer Foundation this year and screened people ahead of each golf event, saying “screening and early detection is a vital component in the fight against cancer.”

Since 1993 Sanlam and the Cancer Association of South Africa (Cansa) have partnered to run the Sanlam Cancer Challenge, a series of golf events that have raised funds and awareness for the fight against cancer.

Spread net

In South Africa, more than 40,000 golfers playing in more than 800 club competitions support Cansa’s programmes, including patient care services.

Funds raised through the Sanlam Cancer Challenge have assisted in Cansa’s health awareness campaign, helped accommodate over 2,600 patients at the 11 Cansa Care Homes and provided support to over 13,400 people at the Cansa Care Clinics .

At the first event in Nyeri County in April, the Pan Africa Life and ACF partnership organised free cancer screening for all residents.

More than 500 people were screened in Nyeri, including 211 men.

Another 993 people were screened in Kisumu on May 23 and 601 people in Nakuru on June 20.

In July, 560 people were screened in Mombasa, another 449 in Kakamega in August 28 and 818 on August 29 in Thika.

“Since the beginning of the year, Pan Africa Life and the Africa Cancer Foundation have spread the screening net beyond the golfing fraternity, encouraging all members of the community to get screened,” the company says.

“We’ve have been particularly encouraged by the number of men who have turned up at each of the screening exercises.”

With 30 qualifiers in the field at Karen Friday and another 134 corporate guests, the competition on the golf course is expected to be hot; and with a fully paid trip to Sun City on the line, nerves will be frayed.

Enjoy your golfing weekend.