Your small gift has a big impact fighting cervical cancer in Malawi
Backed by the Butterfly Collaborative
Dr. Moffitt talks to Arizona Daily Mix about his Malawi cancer screening work
The Butterfly Collaborative and the Women’s Cancer Screening Fund at a glance
- The Butterfly Collaborative uses money donated to the Women’s Cancer Screening Fund to test and treat women in Malawi, Africa, for cervical cancer.
- The death rate from the diseases is 20 times greater than in the United States.
- Small gifts have a big impact: Your $20 donation provides HPV screening for a patient; $100 saves a life with detection and immediate treatment.
Origin of the Butterfly Collaborative and Women’s Cancer Screening Fund
An Arizona based pediatrician, Dr. Diane Matsumoto of TLC Pediatrics, had been volunteering in Africa for 15 years before launching the Butterfly Collaborative. During the years leading up to spearheading a new nonprofit, Dr. Matsumoto joined medical missions organized by other charitable institutions, where she met fellow volunteer Dr. Drew Moffitt.
Dr. Moffitt and Arizona Reproductive Medicine Specialists are deeply committed to supporting patients dealing with complex health journeys, including cancer, which can greatly impact fertility. Dr. Moffitt volunteers his services to the Butterfly Collaborative women’s cancer screening efforts in Malawi.
Power of HPV testing
Simple screening for HPV (human papillomavirus) can detect precancerous cells that lead to cervical cancer. A 30-second treatment of these cells called Thermocoagulation can prevent them from developing into cervical cancer.
We are expanding the spirit of Dr. Moffitt’s medical mission outreach through fundraising efforts. Join ARMS in supporting the Women’s Cancer Screening Fund and help us raise funds for this worthy cause. We invite anyone to contribute to the Women’s Cancer Screening Fund.
Why donate to this particular cancer screening cause?
Your small donation makes a big impact on cervical cancer
A $20 donation provides an HPV screening for a Malawi woman. How your $100 donation can save a life:
- We discover precancerous cells in 1 out of 5 women in Malawi.
- So, 5 screenings at $20 each detects 1 woman with cells that lead to cervical cancer.
- We use colposcopy to pinpoint those cells and a quick procedure to destroy them, saving a life.
Nearly 100% of donations go toward paying for cancer care. This is unusual for nonprofit donations. Your contribution goes to screenings, treatments, equipment and support services (more details below). Highly efficient charities typically allocate 75% or more of every donation to their core mission, limiting overhead expenses such as administration, fundraising and marketing to less than 25%.
Volunteer-run organization
The Butterfly Collaborative is a volunteer lead charity, even their executives are volunteers who don’t take a salary.
Dr. Moffitt writes about his most recent mission to Malawi
Why support women’s health in Malawi?
We are focusing on Malawi because of the country’s tremendous need for women’s healthcare, particularly in preventing and treating cervical cancer. Of all cancers, cervical is one of the most preventable and treatable with early detection.
The great need in Malawi creates an equally great opportunity for us to help
Malawi faces the world’s second-highest rate of cervical cancer and its second-highest death rate. Women there die from the disease at a rate of 51.5 per 100,000 – 20 times the U.S. rate of 2.5 per 100,000.
Where we used to find 20 cases of potential cervical cancer a week, our new arrangement will enable us to treat up to 100 cancers a week. The program through Butterfly Collaborative has signed a memorandum of agreement with the Malawi Ministry of Health to expand to a large-scale screening program. See details below.
Teaming with the Butterfly Collaborative’s Cancer Screening Fund for Malawi
Butterfly Collaborative is a nonprofit organization dedicated creating groundbreaking solutions through collaboration. Involved in a variety of women’s health initiatives, its Women’s Cancer Screening Fund specifically focuses on improving access to cancer screening and treatment, primarily through early detection outreaches such as HPV screening in vulnerable regions such as Malawi.
How to donate to the Women’s Cancer Screening Fund
Please make your donation to the Women’s Cancer Screening Fund through the button below. This will take you to the Butterfly Collaborative’s fundraising page, our established partner in cervical cancer screening in Malawi. Follow these simple steps:
- Select the donation type (one-time, monthly, yearly).
- Enter the amount of your donation.
- In the “Use this donation for” dropdown menu, select Women’s Screening Fund.
- Choose your method of payment.
Dramatic cancer screening expansion in Malawi
During Dr. Moffitt’s past missions to Malawi, they could screen about 100 people in a week, typically identifying around 20 who need treatment. That means helping just 20 individuals out of millions who could benefit.
“Last year, we addressed this gap by signing a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Health Malawi and the Malawi College of Health Sciences,” says Dr. Moffitt. “Together, we launched a large-scale screening program that tests for the DNA of the human papillomavirus that causes cervical cancer. With this approach, we can treat about 100 people per week instead of just 20.”
The improved cervical cancer screening process
Rather than gathering women for individual testing followed by possible treatment in a single mission visit, the new program expands the reach.
- Swab test kits are distributed in Malawi communities.
- Women collect their own cervical cell samples, returning the swab to the lab.
- Volunteers like Dr. Moffit and local clinicians then perform mobile colposcopy on women whose samples were positive for HPV to identify the precancerous cells.
- With a small instrument, the provider uses LEEP to destroy suspect precancerous cells in about 30 seconds.
How funds donated to the Women’s Cancer Screening Fund are used
Through a joint effort, ARMS has partnered with the Butterfly Collaborative and aims to raise money to support their Women’s Cancer Screening Fund. Almost 100% of your donations to the Women’s Cancer Screening Fund go to preventing cervical cancer in Malawi.
- The average Malawi household income is about $400 a year, so it is relatively inexpensive to hire local healthcare staff to deliver cancer screening care. But in-country medical supplies and equipment are still a noteworthy expense ($15,000 per month for nurses, supplies, fuel).
- HPV test kits (approx. $700 per month or $5-7 per test).
- Mobile colposcopy to identify the location of HPV cells (approx. $3,000)
- LEEP equipment to remove tissue that cannot be treated by thermocoagulation (approx. $1,000-2,000.)
- Pay for local medical providers.
- Travel for medical volunteers to fly to Malawi.
Get to know a key sponsor of the Women’s Cancer Screening Fund
Dr. Drew Moffitt is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and holds board certification in reproductive endocrinology and infertility. He is an active member of the American Society for Reproductive. His work has appeared in multiple peer-reviewed scientific publications, and he remains engaged in research aimed at advancing the effectiveness of infertility care.
Dr. Moffitt regularly contributes his time, expertise and enthusiasm to charitable causes that help those in need. He has made three trips to Malawi alone providing volunteer medical care.
