Ambassador and Mrs. Tefft join First Lady in Walk Against Breast Cancer
On Saturday, September 30, Ambassador and Mrs. Tefft joined Georgia’s First Lady, Ms. Sandra Roelofs, in leading the second annual Breast Cancer Awareness Walk in Kutaisi. The event marked Ambassador Tefft’s first official visit to the city.
The walk attracted over 300 participants including students, local government officials, health practitioners, members of the U.S. Embassy community and Peace Corps Volunteers. Big name participants included Giga Chogovadze, Mayor of Kutaisi, Bob Wilson, Mission Director for USAID/Caucasus, and Dr. Doris Browne of the National Institute of Health who flew in from the U.S. for the occasion.
After a brisk walk down Kutaisi’s busy main square, walkers gathered around a stage in the central park for a post-walk celebration including speeches by the First Lady, Ambassador Tefft, Dr. Browne and Mayor Chogovadze. A pop music concert featuring local performers closed out the day.
The Breast Cancer Awareness Walk was organized by Nancy Harris, Vice President of John Snow International (JSI). JSI sponsored the event along with the local government of Imereti, the Healthy Women in Georgia project, local NGO HERA, and the Women’s Wellness Care Alliance.
The U.S., largely through USAID, has sponsored breast cancer awareness and preventative practices for years in Georgia. Last year it donated modern mammography equipment to Kutaisi to improve the accuracy screenings for the disease . |
