MARIENTAL - The first of its kind cancer centre in Hardap Region is expected to officially open today in Rehoboth.
The centre, christened the Hardap Cancer Centre (HCC), is said to will target hundreds of cancer victims in Hardap. 

According to the Governor of Hardap Region, Esme Sophia Isaak, they teamed up with the Cancer Association of Namibia (CAN) to set up a centre that would help multitudes of the Hardap community who are affected by the disease that strikes many Namibians annually.

She said the centre would bring professionals from the cancer association that will be talking to cancer victims on how one can live with cancer after being diagnosed. 

According to the governor who says she is also a survivor of cancer, having been diagnosed with breast cancer 19 years ago, the main aim is to save lives and teach the local community that people with cancer can live a long and normal life. 
“We want to encourage and motivate these people that cancer is a normal disease.  People try to kill themselves because of these things, but they must remain positive,” says the governor, adding that she wants to save the lives of the people in the south. 

She says other such centres will spread into other towns in the region in years to come. 
Meanwhile, the governor says she has many plans for this year, including building 31 classrooms in different high schools in the region. Apart from that, they also want to build a vocational training centre and initiate more projects to employ jobless people.

 She says she is also busy discussing and strategising plans for this year with regional heads to discuss the way forward for Hardap Region.