Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu: Continuing our activities for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu posted the following:

“Continuing our activities in September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, my team at Medicaid Cancer Foundation carried out an outreach in Sheda Village, Kwali District of the FCT. The activities are a collaboration with our incredible partners FLAC Nigeria BIO Ventures for Global Health and UATH. The initiative is tackling childhood cancer through education and advocacy at the grassroots.

Late detection or even no detection is a major challenge for us in LMICs when it comes to children with cancer. Thus, we focus on empowering families to recognize early signs and symptoms. Some of these include fever, bruising, limping, lump, vision changes, etc. We also introduced patient navigators at UATH to guide families through their cancer journey.

Our visit wasn’t all serious talk, we had fun playing games with the kids and handing out prizes to the winners. Their laughter and smiles were the best reminder of why we must keep our children healthy and why we do what we do.

I am grateful to all our partners and supporters for making this initiative possible. Through collaborative efforts, we are driving change and building a path toward a Cancer-Free Future.”

Source: Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu/LinkedIn

Dr. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu is a global cancer advocate, a pediatrician, a UICC Board Member,  Founder of the Medicaid Cancer Foundation, and the Chairperson of First Ladies Against Cancer (FLAC). Dr. Bagudu is working with the state ministries of health, education, and women affairs to implement programs to sustainably improve menstrual hygiene, girl-child education, economic empowerment of women, and put an end to gender-based violence. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu is a member of the Editorial Board of OncoDaily.