Bundies Care Support Initiative, an NGO, has screened more than 100 market women and sensitised secondary school girls on breast cancer in Kwara.
Mrs Funmilayo Osiegbu, the Executive Director of the initiative, disclosed this on the sidelines of the 2021 Breast Cancer Awareness Week on Thursday in Ilorin.
Osiegbu said the campaign was geared towards sensitising women on the dangers of breast cancer and the need for screening and early detection of the disease.
She stated that over 100 women were screened for breast cancer on a period of three days at Mandate market in Ilorin.
According to her, students of Queen Elizabeth Secondary School in Ilorin were also sensitised on how to do self-examination for the disease.
Osiegbu noted that the month of October was filled with programmes that are girl-child friendly, adding that other themes for the week includes talk on mental health and importance of ICT to commemorate the day of girl-child.
She appealed to government at all tiers to prioritise issues surrounding the girl-child and females as a whole, while observing that experts in the medical field have found out that young girls were also coming down with breast cancer diseases.
Dr. Mosunmola Folorunsho, the state President of Medical Women Association of Nigeria (MWAN), observed that the month of October was peculiar to issues surrounding the girl-child.
She stated that the medical associatio
n also partnered with Bundies Care Initiative to screen women at the Mandate market, adding that through such efforts, some cases of women with lumps were realised and appropriate referrals were made.
“Breast cancer is not a death sentence, with early detection, lives of women can be saved and they can live a healthy life,” she said.
The MWAN president added the association also sensitised the school girls on facts and myths surrounding breast cancer, self examination and mental health.
The sidelines of the events includes distribution of fliers on breast cancer and talks in various dialects in Kwara communities, including Yoruba, Nupe and Hausa.
Students were also given pamphlets and fliers to educate them more about the disease.
