Ms. Benda Kithaka
Ms. Benda Kithaka
Ms. Benda Kithaka is a Communications & Health Advocacy Specialist, with a keen interest in Cervical Cancer Elimination and Cancer Survivorship. She sits on various Global, Regional, and National Technical Working Groups, in advocacy and technical advisory role. She also Co-chairs the #STOPCervicalCancer Initiative, an advocacy platform formed in 2018 to stimulate and coordinate efforts by stakeholders toward a unified approach to Cervical Cancer Advocacy. The Initiative started the National Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, held from 20th to 27th January each year, through the support of the American Cancer Society, and Women4Cancer Early Detection and Treatment.
Benda is the founder of KILELE Challenge, a community project that is empowering people living with chronic conditions and their caregivers to inspire change using their lived experiences. Her personal interests include Women’s Health, Behaviour Change Communications, Fitness, Social Innovation, and Traveling to discover/interact with new cultures. She is a recipient of numerous awards, including the International Gynecologic Cancer Society (IGCS) 2019 Distinguished Advocacy Award; the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) award to participate as the civil society voice in the Regional Consultation on the Elimination of Cervical Cancer in the African Region (May 2019); the AACE Selma Morris Memorial Travel Scholarship Award in 2017; and the 2016 Cancer Ambassador of the Year in Kenya.
Currently, she is a Health Advocate at KILELE Challenge, Benda Kithaka is a Health Policy Advocacy and Communications expert based in Kenya. Her work is focused on policies that address late presentation by patients with chronic conditions which affect Quality of Life and Survivorship. She has a keen interest in Behaviour Change Communications as a vehicle for collaboration between healthcare practitioners and patient advocates to improve care outcomes.