As Latin America prospers, its people are more likely to suffer from chronic diseases. Cancer is already this region’s second leading cause of death, after circulatory disorders, killing more than 1 million Latin Americans a year.

The Inter-American Development Bank is helping Latin American countries modernize their health systems to better address chronic ailments through a $6 billion portfolio of health-related projects. Other IDB-backed initiatives, such as programs that pay mothers to keep kids in school, offer poor families incentives to use medical services.

But too few Latin Americans are aware of cancer’s threat. In Mexico, where this disease is responsible for more than one in 10 deaths, the incidence of cancer continues to grow.

Mexican women have the highest mortality rates of cervical-uterine cancer in the Americas, but due to various factors, screening rates remain low. The first challenge, therefore, is to find effective ways to raise women’s awareness of this threat and enable them to use health services.

That is why the IDB is excited about working with Stand Up To Cancer on a pilot project in Veracruz, a Mexican state with high mortality rates for cervical-uterine and breast cancer. Drawing from SU2C’s experience in raising cancer awareness among Latinos in the United States, the Veracruz project will feature public service announcements promoting healthy behaviors and early detection. The IDB and SU2C will work with Mexican authorities to ensure that women reached by the campaign have access to pap smears, mammograms and manual exams.

“This pilot project with Stand Up To Cancer represents an incredible opportunity to test a model for future campaigns, not only for Mexico but for the rest of Latin America,” explains IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno.

The pilot project in Veracruz will have support from the IDB-administered Korean Poverty Reduction Fund.