The Challenge

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In its first iteration, On the Move/Mais Intestino achieved exceptional results, reaching out to people in African migrant communities who were often disengaged from the Portuguese healthcare system . But will the methodology work elsewhere?
Plans are now well under way for a second pilot among Black communities with different characteristics in a different European health system. The Belgium pilot, scheduled for 2027, will allow us to build on the lessons learned in Lisbon and make a stronger case to health policy makers for a roll-out of GHP’s distinctive mobile and community-driven
approach.

Our Solution

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With the support of our sponsors Merck and the expert advice of Professor Christian von Wagner of University College London, a key first step has been to review our learnings from the Portugal pilot and to use them to refine the proposition in a series of feedback sessions with leading subject matter experts across Europe. These have included a highly productive session with the Expert Working Group of the World Endoscopy Organisation in Vienna in October 2024.
On the ground in Belgium, we have put critical management structures in place too, securing the agreement of the prominent clinician and public health leader, Dr Pia Cox, to run the pilot. With Dr Cox’s help, the project has also now been recognised by BruPrev, the Brussels Center for the Coordination of Cancer Screening, an essential partner in integrating the pilot with screening protocols in the Brussels area.
In Portugal it is now clear that the ethnic homogeneity of the communities we targeted, their concentration in defined urban locations and their involvement with formal community bodies, such as Churches, were key enablers of the behaviour change we were looking for. So we are applying those learnings in Belgium too, focusing the pilot in francophone Brussels and homing in on communities which are strongly connected with
sub-Saharan Africa, especially Senegal and Congo. We are especially excited by the potential for linking our mobile events with positive cultural common denominators such as food, music and dance – perhaps by coinciding with key community events in our chosen locations.

Achievements

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Reviewing and consolidating our key learnings from the first pilot with subject matter experts.
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Appointing a pilot lead, Dr Pia Cox, and connecting with state-run Brussels CRC screening protocols.
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Identifying target communities and key Brussels locations.
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Focusing on additional funding opportunities with Africa-orientated businesses.