Worldwide, breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women. The practice
of breast self-examination can heighten women awareness about the normal breast structure and
composition, such option is recommended for early detection of breast cancer. The global
shortage of medical workers has increased the call for involving and training community workers
as rural pioneers to bridge such gap. The present study aimed to develop competency of rural
women pioneers focused on early detection of breast cancer in New Valley governorate - Egypt.
A quasi-experimental design was used with a pre post-test. Purposive sample of 82 rural women
pioneers in New Valley governorate was invited to take part in the study. Besides personal data,
two tools were used to collect required data; a self-administered questionnaire sheet was prepared
guided by Cancer Awareness Measure (CAM) and breast self-examination checklist adapted from
the document prepared by Egypt Health Workforce Development Project. More than half of the
pioneers were at age group 30 to 40, with the mean age 39.1± 6.5 years, and 78% of them had
more than 10 years of experience as rural pioneers. A statistically significant difference was
found between study subjects' knowledge concerning cancer risk factors & warning signs pre-post
intervention, and also in the practice of breast self-examination. Nursing educational intervention
designed for community manpower can successfully enhance breast cancer knowledge and
practice. On the other hand, further research is recommended to replicate the study at different
settings using larger samples to permit for generalization.