By Adekunle Williams
A Sickle Cell Non Profit Organisation, Nirvana Initiative, on Saturday called for collaborative efforts of all stakeholders to help in the management of sickle cell disorder.
The Founder of the Initiative, Ms Modupeola Babawale, who made this call at the World Sickle Cell Outreach 2025 at the Agege in Lagos, said that living with sickle cell disorder should not be neglected or stigmatised.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the outreach tagged: “Seen, Heard and Supported,” was to commemorate the 2025 World Sickle Cell Day usually celebrated every June 19.
According to her, people living with the condition have been long overlooked and stigmatised in the society, hence the decision of the initiative to look after them to share their burdens with them.
Babawale, who carried out free health consultations, counselling, medical checkups, also doled out free medication, care packages, free checkups for the patients.
The founder, who is based in the U.S., said that the initiative had concluded plans to have a center of the warriors.
According to her, over the years the initiative has only been focusing on the outreaches such as the free genotype testing and creating awareness about the disorder.
Babawale said: “Living with sickle cells as a person, I have been fortunate to have access to excellent health care and a robust support system from a young age.
“However, I am actually aware of my privilege and often think about those who lack these resources. This awareness compelled me to take action in my own way.
“So one of my main goals is not only to focus on genotype testing, I believe that the disorder awareness does not start with genotype testing, it goes beyond it.
“The focus of this event is to come out of a general outreach and mainly concentrate on the ‘warriors’ because we felt they have been overlooked and they are being stigmatised.
“Our certified health practitioners have been conducting test to know their malaria status so we can give them free medication and care packages to function.
“The sickle cell warriors need to be seen, to be heard and to be supported.”She said that the patients should not be allowed to go through the crisis alone and unsupported.
Babawale said the initiative was creating a community so that those living with the disorder could share experiences and open dialogue among themselves.
“We need a community, we need resources, we also need support from society. The warriors should never be let to walk their journey alone.”
This NGO is giving them an avenue where they can free themselves, knowing that they also matter in the society,” she added.
The Coordinator of the outreach, who is also a Certified Nursing Assistant, Mr Stephen Oladipupo, said the outreach was for them to take away the stigma around people living with sickle cell disorder.
Oladipupo said: “We hope to do this regularly, warriors coming together, knowing that there is a community that will not discriminate against them.”We also want to teach them how to overcome some of this stigma,” he said.
A 50-year old woman beneficiary, Mrs Mosunmola Bamigbola, urged sickle cell warriors not to allow anyone deceive them that they would die young.
“It is a lie that sickle cell patients die young. The issue is that warriors should take good care of themselves and drink a lot of water.
“I walk around with my bottle of water. I can drink like four to five bottles of water. So I drink a lot of water and I don’t expose myself to cold, I eat fruits, vegetable,” Bamigbola said.
Bamigbola, who was diagnosed of the disorder at five, urged policy makers to assist patients, by subsiding their medications and increase the awareness on sickle cell to curtail the spread.
