California Chamorro Breast Cancer Survivors Alliance: An Example of Empowerment, Capacity Building and Outcome

San Diego is home to the largest concentration of Chamorros outside of Guam. Chamorros in San Diego are less likely to be high school graduates, and more likely to be under the poverty line, compared to their white counterparts. Local data also indicate that Chamorro women are less likely to have a baseline or regular mammogram. The California Chamorro Breast Cancer Survivors Alliance was founded in 2008, with the goals of building capacity for breast cancer outreach, education and support in the San Diego area. The Alliance is an extension of Guam Communications Network's Chamorro Cancer Survivors Network, with support from WINCART: Weaving an Islander Network for Cancer Awareness, Research and Training. The core group of women who lead the Alliance utilize inafa'maolek, the interdependence of family, religion and community to build skills and confidence in providing a culturally tailored intervention in breast health and breast cancer awareness. This presentation will describe the strategies used by the Alliance to promote breast cancer early detection among Chamorro women in San Diego.

Learning Objectives for session attendees: (1) understand how the women were empowered by their participation in WINCART (Weaving and Islander Network in Cancer Awareness, Research and Training) supported activities (training, conferences and educational outreach) and (2) highlight the Alliance's accomplishments as a newly emerging community-based organization involved in Community-Based Participatory Research.

Outcome: As a result of WINCART-supported training, Alliance members have executed, and continue to expand outreach efforts to inform and educate Chamorro women about breast cancer prevention and awareness.