By Ahmed Akanbi
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and the Onyebuchi Chris Ifediora (OCI) Foundation International have agreed to scale up their breast and cervical cancer awareness campaign to all 37 NYSC orientation camps nationwide.
The decision was announced during the retraining of NYSC officers and state campaign anchors on Monday in Abuja where both organisations called for full implementation of the Arm Our Youths, ArOY, Anti-Cancer Health Campaign
President of the OCI Foundation, Associate Professor Chris Ifediora, represented by Lady Frances Nkem, said the programme is designed to equip young Nigerians with knowledge for prevention and early detection of breast and cervical cancers.
She said the initiative, which started with NYSC support in 2021, has become one of Nigeria’s largest youth-led preventive health campaigns. So far, 26 editions have been held across most orientation camps.
”The campaign now reaches more than 500,000 corps members annually with life-saving cancer awareness and health education,” she said, disclosing that it has also grown through community outreach, volunteer networks, social media and the CerviBreast mobile app.
The Foundation urged NYSC to approve the campaign for all 37 camps and to formally establish the ArOY Health Campaign Community Development Service, CDS, group to sustain activities throughout the service year.
It also announced plans to strengthen cervical cancer screening at orientation camps. A new initiative, BACERS, will train corps members in Basic Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Response Strategies.
Health experts say breast and cervical cancers are among the leading causes of cancer deaths among women globally. Early detection improves survival, but late diagnosis, low awareness and poor access to screening continue to cause preventable deaths in Nigeria.
Director of CDS and Special Projects at NYSC, Chief Chiwendu Chukwu, described cancer as a major public health challenge. He reaffirmed NYSC’s commitment to fighting breast and cervical cancer through education and early detection.
”This initiative will create a new generation of young advocates for cancer prevention by equipping corps members with life-saving knowledge for their host communities,” he said. He urged Schedule Officers to drive the campaign in their states and commended OCI Foundation for the partnership.
With the expanded partnership, hundreds of thousands of corps members are expected to become advocates for cancer prevention, early diagnosis and healthier communities across Nigeria every year.