LEAH Foundation, a non-governmental organization that has for years now worked towards having a society where the word ‘cancer’ loses its power by emphasizing that a diagnosis isn’t a death sentence, drawing attention to the fact that it is important to prevent cancer before it starts and putting stress on the need to ‘catch’ it early in order that people can live longer and healthier lives, has come up with a new initiative.
The Foundation will ahead of the 2025 World Cancer Day branch out into ‘Prostate Cancer’ and this will be given the needed energy and attention like it had done with regard to breast and cervical cancer while also maintaining the tempo, Founder of LEAH Foundation, Mrs. Omolewa Yetunde Ahmed, submitted on Monday.
Presiding over the press conference held by the Foundation in Ilorin which was attended by journalists including Team@orientactualmags.com , Mrs Omolewa Ahmed said over 50,000 women have benefited from the Foundation ‘s programmes since its establishment including screening and clinical interventions.
Noting that LEAH Foundation ‘is a proud member of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and the African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC)’ , Mrs Omolewa Ahmed also added that ‘since 2013, LEAH Foundation has embarked on a Breast and Cervical Cancer Project aimed at raising awareness, providing regular screening, and facilitating timely treatment’ while offering psychological and social support to those diagnosed with cancer.
The Foundation, she added, also engaged with religious, social, political, traditional and government leaders and also embarked on massive awareness and sensitization outreaches to all Local Governments in the state, established Anti-Cancer Clubs in secondary and tertiary institutions in the state and produced a 13-week indigenous series ‘S’AYEWO’ which was shown on Kwara Tv for 2 seasons.
LEAH Foundation also produced an indigenous cancer awareness musical album which was distributed free across all local governments in Kwara State and also came up with a feature film ‘Diamonds in the Sky’- a beautiful story about cancer and how it affects life, love and family which was premiered on NETFLIX in 2019 and was ranked Top for several weeks.
‘Diamonds in the Sky’, she added, is currently showing on the LEAH Foundation YouTube page.
She also submitted that the almost zero awareness among men made it important for the Foundation to add prostate cancer to its areas of focus and give it needed attention while noting that this will also help to create a platform for couples to be each other’s accountability partner and encourage each other to go for screening regularly.
While submitting that the Foundation has the required personnel to carry out the upcoming screening exercise, Mrs Ahmed also noted that the template used for the breast and cervical cancer will be applied in order to ease things for the Foundation.
Asserting that the Foundation has over the years earned people’s trust in respect of integrity, the former Kwara State First Lady urged well-meaning and public-spirited people to sponsor people for screening and help to build a healthy society.
‘We started off with the establishment of basic screening centres in the 16 local governments in the state. Today we have expanded to include a fully equipped hospital and three state-of-the-art diagnostic centres located in the city of Ilorin.
Breast Cancer: We have done this through physical examinations and the use of modern devices (e.g., Breast-i), ultrasound, mammography, and histologic diagnostics such as FNAC, Trucut biopsy, and immunohistochemistry.
Cervical Cancer: We have employed WHO-approved methods like visual inspection using acetic acid and Lugol’s iodine,
Colposcopy
Pap tests
Cervical biopsies.
HPV antibody testing
TREATMENT;
Pre-cancerous treatments including lumpectomy, LEEP, and cryotherapy.
Early-stage cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and surgical procedures.
IMPACT;
Over 50,000 women have been screened for breast and cervical cancers in collaboration with religious organizations, trade unions, market women’s associations, the government, and other women groups.
Many women presenting with early signs of cancer have undergone clinical interventions at our facility or been referred to tertiary health facilities.
PROSTRATE CANCER SCREENING INITIATIVE
As part of this year’s World Cancer Day activities, LEAH Foundation is turning its attention to prostate cancer—one of the most common cancers among men in Nigeria, accounting for 29% of male cancer cases. Tragically, 80% of prostate cancer cases result in death due to late detection, underscoring the urgent need for early screening and awareness.
PROPOSED SCOPE OF COVERAGE
The Prostate Cancer Screening Project aims to provide free screening services for 20,000 to 30,000 men aged 40 and above across all religious, educational, and social strata in Kwara State.
The initiative will include:
1.Advocacy: Engaging opinion leaders in religion, culture, associations, and government.
2. Awareness/Sensitization: Leveraging social media campaigns, radio interviews, health talks, jingles, and billboards.
3. Production of the Season 2 of the indigenous series S’AYEWO.
4. Screening Events:
The Prostate Cancer Awareness Initiative is set to launch on World Cancer Day, February 4, 2025, at the Ilorin Stadium, and will subsequently be launched in Kwara South and Kwara North.
The launch events will take place in Offa town on February 11, and Tsaragi on February 13, respectively.
We are proud to have partnered with some of Nigeria’s influential Nollywood celebrities, who have graciously agreed to serve as our ‘Awareness Champions’, using their voices to help raise awareness about prostate cancer and promote early detection and treatment.
Request for Sponsorship
To extend the reach and impact of this project, LEAH Foundation seeks the support of individuals and organizations committed to societal development. Sponsorship will enable us to provide free screening services to thousands of men, promoting early detection and reducing mortality rates associated with prostate cancer.
As a transparent and accountable organization, we pledge to provide detailed reports on all funds utilized. Together, we can make a significant difference in the fight against cancer and save countless lives.
For sponsorship and further inquiries, please contact LEAH Foundation at 08142149420, 07036136774’ she said.
Also speaking, the Medical Director of the Foundation, Dr Gregory Oyinloye emphasized the importance of screening and early detection which will make complete cure ‘possible’ while late detection can only create opportunity to ‘palliate’ and will in most cases lead to death-Team@orientactualmags.com Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08059100286, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com. Thank you
