The fight against breast cancer has received a fresh boost in Cross River State as the Pink Africa Foundation, in partnership with the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Cross River State Council, launched a school-based awareness campaign to educate students on early detection and body awareness.
The campaign, held at Government Secondary School, Akim, Calabar, focused on teaching students the importance of knowing their bodies, practising self-breast examination and speaking out when they notice unusual changes.
The organisers said the initiative was designed to expose young people to cancer awareness early and empower them to spread life-saving information within their families and communities.
Chairman of NUJ Cross River State Council, Comrade Archibong Bassey, praised Pink Africa Foundation for its continued commitment to cancer advocacy and said the partnership would help reduce fear and stigma associated with discussing body health.
“We are pleased to be associated with the Pink Africa Foundation. We are really excited to be doing this awareness campaign with the foundation this year,” Bassey said.
He added: “It is part of your body, so you should not be ashamed, you should not be afraid to look at it because when you look at it, you’ll be able to discover the changes that are coming up.”
The NUJ chairman stressed that early awareness remains important because many cancer cases become difficult to manage when discovered late.
Executive Director of Pink Africa Foundation, Glory Egrinya, said the organisation has continued its advocacy campaign for eight years across eight African countries, with young people now becoming a major focus of its awareness efforts.
Egrinya explained that reaching teenagers was a deliberate move aimed at changing the pattern of late cancer presentation among patients.
“We are aiming to catch them young. When the students are well informed, they’ll be able to make good decisions for their future, and also we want them to become awareness agents,” she said.
“Breast cancer is prevalent now. So many women are having it and they are not aware. We often have late presentation because the awareness is not enough,” she added.
Beyond cancer education, the foundation also supported some students from less privileged backgrounds with exercise books, writing materials and tuition assistance as part of its commitment to improving lives.
The Principal of Government Secondary School, Akim, Mrs Magdalene Asam, appreciated the gesture, noting that the support would help reduce the burden on struggling families.
“Most of them actually are from less privileged homes, and the books and items you’ve given will go a long way to assist them. If we had more organizations doing this, our society would be much better,” Asam said.
President of the Medical Women Association of Nigeria (MWAN), Cross River State Branch, Dr Funke Ebughe, also highlighted the importance of educating young people about their health.
She noted that breast cancer remains the most common cancer affecting women in Nigeria and urged teenagers to develop the confidence to speak up about changes in their bodies.
“We think that the students need to know their bodies early before we have cases presenting late,” Dr Ebughe said.
“We need them to be able to speak up because we’ve noticed that most teenagers hide things occurring in their bodies. When you speak to one child, the goal is to reach a hundred people as they share the information,” she added.
Dr Ebughe further commended the Cross River State Government for supporting cancer awareness programmes across the state.
The school campaign is part of activities leading to the Go Pink Africa 2026 event, scheduled for October 24 in Calabar.
The event will provide free breast cancer screening, post-treatment cancer screening, cervical cancer screening and free eye care services for residents.
Egrinya called on residents of Cross River State to participate actively in the event, saying awareness and early action remain key to saving lives.
“We are going to be painting the streets of Calabar pink. On October 24th, come out en masse. Let’s sensitise, let’s create awareness, and let me remind everyone that early detection and prompt treatment saves lives,” she said.
The organisers said the continued partnership between media organisations, health professionals and advocacy groups would help create a society where more people understand cancer prevention, early detection and timely treatment.
