The Female Affais Ministry of Alexander Brown Hall (ABH), the Federation of African Medical Students’ Association (FAMSA), University of Ibadan Medical Students’ Association (UIMSA) among many others are the various organizations in the University of Ibadan who are championing the breast cancer awareness campaign.
The awareness campaign is an annual month-long series of events usually held in October which is tagged the Pink Month, with a pink ribbon as the symbol. The month is set aside to raise awareness about breast cancer and raise funds for research patients of the disease.
The campaigns started off with posters, infographics, banners and other materials shared across different social media platforms to sensitise the public on the risk factors for breast cancer as well as ways to detect and prevent it. Other activities are also schedule to mark the pink month. This include health walks, radio shows, fund raising for breast cancer patients among others.
A breast cancer awareness banner by the Female Affairs Ministry of ABH at the gate
According to the head of the FAMSA Headquarters Board Breast Cancer Awareness Committee 2019, Mr Ayodele Abdumalik, “the aim of the Pink Month is to curb the scourge of breast cancer through creating awareness for it and providing support for those that have been diagnosed with it. We do not want to lose any more lives to breast cancer. The aim of all the various organizations, from FAMSA to Alexander Brown Hall, and organizations locally and around the world is to save humanity from this ravaging, yet manageable disease.” FAMSA will be holding an outreach on the 26th of the Pink month at Apete Primary Health Centre while ABH will be having a health walk on the 12th of the same month.
A poster by Federation of African Medical Students’ Association Headquaters Board
Numerous organizations and governments around the world also partake in the awareness in various ways such as fund raising for breast cancer research.
A poster by the University of Ibadan Medical Students’ Association
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and according to World Health Organization (WHO), it impacts 2.1 million women each year, and also causes the greatest number of cancer-related deaths among women. In 2018, it is estimated that 627,000 women died from breast cancer – that is approximately 15% of all cancer deaths among women. Ot can affect both men and women but is rarely found in men.
