By: Kelvin Obambon
In a major push to combat the rising prevalence of breast cancer through early education and sensitization, the Pink Africa Foundation, in partnership with the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Cross River State Council, has flagged off a school-focused awareness campaign in Calabar.
The outreach, held at the Government Secondary School, Akim, on Wednesday, aimed to educate students on body awareness and self-breast examination, equipping them to become grassroots awareness agents in their households and neighborhoods.
Speaking of the partnership, Comrade Archibong Bassey, Chairman of the NUJ Cross River State Council, commended the foundation’s consistency over the years and stressed the importance of removing the stigma surrounding body inspection.
"NUJ Cross River State is pleased to be associated with the Pink Africa Foundation. We are really excited to be doing this awareness campaign with the foundation this year,” Comrade Bassey stated. “It is part of your body, so you should not be ashamed, you should not be afraid to look at it because when you look at it, you’ll be able to discover the changes that are coming up.”
Glory Egrinya, Executive Director of Pink Africa Foundation, stated that the foundation has sustained its advocacy efforts for eight consecutive years across eight African countries. She explained that targeting teenagers is a deliberate strategy to tackle the widespread issue of late presentation among patients.
“We are aiming to catch them young. When the students are well informed, they’ll be able to make good decisions for their future, and also we want them to become awareness agents,” Egrinya said. “Breast cancer is prevalent now. So many women are having it and they are not aware. We often have late presentations because awareness is not enough.”
Beyond health education, Pink Africa Foundation presented exercise books, writing materials, and tuition support to several students from less-privileged backgrounds to aid their learning.
Expressing her gratitude, the Principal of Government Secondary School, Akim, Mrs. Magdalene Asam, noted that the intervention provides vital relief to many families. “Most of them actually are from less privileged homes, and the books and items you’ve given will go a long way to assist them. If we had more organizations doing this, our society would be much better,” Asam stated.
On her part, Dr. Funke Ebughe, President of the Medical Women Association of Nigeria (MWAN), Cross River State Branch, reinforced the clinical rationale for target-focused school sensitization, noting that breast cancer remains the most common cancer among women in Nigeria.
"We think that the students need to know their bodies early before we have cases presenting late,” Dr. Ebughe explained. “We need them to be able to speak up because we’ve noticed that most teenagers hide things occurring in their bodies. When you speak to one child, the goal is to reach a hundred people as they share the information.”
She also commended the Cross River Government for its active collaboration in advancing cancer sensitization across the state.
The school sensitization serves as a precursor to the Go Pink Africa 2026 event, scheduled to hold on 24 October. The event will feature free breast cancer screening, post-treatment cancer screening, cervical cancer screening, and free eye care services.
Egrinya urged residents to participate en masse, declaring “We are going to be painting the streets of Calabar pink. On October 24th, come out en masse. Let’s sensitize, let’s create awareness, and let me remind everyone that early detection and prompt treatment saves lives.”(Paradise News)
