In commemoration of the 2025 World Sickle Cell Day, the Kudirat Adebisi Oyawoye Foundation has launched a four-day outreach programme aimed at raising awareness and providing essential healthcare services to residents of select communities in Kwara State.
Themed “Shining the Light on Sickle Cell Disease (Adebisi, Know Your Status),” the event kicked off today at the Basic Health Centre in Ijagbo, Oyun Local Government Area, and is scheduled to continue at health centres in Oke-Odo, Ipee, and Esie in Irepodun LGA.
The initiative features free sickle cell screening, ABO blood typing, malaria testing and treatment, games, and health education, with a focus on breaking the stigma associated with sickle cell disease and encouraging early genotype awareness.
Speaking at the Ijagbo outreach, Co-founder of the Foundation, Ms Fatima Oyawoye, emphasized the goal of the programme.
“We are here today to educate people in different communities in Kwara State about sickle cell,” she said. “It’s to allay the fear and stigma surrounding the disease and make people more aware of their genotype.”
Now in its fifth year, the Foundation’s annual sickle cell awareness campaign has tested over 10,000 individuals across various locations in the state.
This year, the team is targeting an additional 1,000 residents, with a daily outreach goal of 350 people per location.
Oyawoye stressed the importance of empowering individuals living with sickle cell disorder.
“For individuals living with sickle cell, they should understand that it’s not a cage,” she said. “You can do whatever you want to do in life, achieve all your goals and succeed. You are allowed to live your life to the fullest.”
Community members, health workers, and volunteers turned out in good numbers on the first day of the programme, engaging in consultations and receiving health information in an interactive and relaxed atmosphere that also included games and music.
The outreach continues across Oyun and Irepodun LGAs in the coming days, reinforcing the Foundation’s commitment to community-based healthcare, inclusive education, and the fight against stigma in sickle cell advocacy.
