Sickle Cell Foundation lauds MultiChoice support in the fight against sickle cell

The Chairman and Founder, Sickle Cell Foundation, Nigeria, (SCFN), Prof. Olu Akinyanju has commended MultiChoice, a leading pay-television provider in Nigeria for using it broadcast platform and resources to create awareness about the sickle cell disorder.

Speaking at the closing/certificate award ceremony of the 18th Genetic Counselling Training course on Sickle Cell Disorder at the National Sickle Cell Centre in Lagos, Prof. Akinyanju said MultiChoice’s determination to enrich lives has also impacted positively on the fight against the sickle cell disorder for over a decade.

The two-week counselling course was aimed at raising awareness about and deepening understanding of the Sickle Cell Disorder (SCD) as well as pointing out ways that SCD victims could lead normal lives. 

The Chairman of the Foundation, while appealing to participants to use the knowledge they received from the course to support and manage the sickle cell disorder professionally, also appealed to corporate bodies to emulate the kind gesture of MultiChoice in supporting the fight against the disorder.

In his remarks, John Ugbe, Chief Executive Officer, MultiChoice Nigeria, who was represented by Caroline Oghuma, Executive Head; Corporate Affairs, MultiChoice Nigeria said MultiChoice Nigeria is an organization that promotes values and views its support for training courses as well as other contributions to the fight against SCD as part of its propagation of strong family values.

“As an organization that promotes family values we cannot but contribute to the fight against Sickle Cell Disorder in Nigeria. From time to time, we have been supporting the SCFN in many ways, including development of awareness materials, fundraising through donation boxes at our offices and donation of vehicles for its operations,” she said.

The genetic training course which had in attendance 31 participants from across the countryand from other countries in Africa, also had 27 resource people who shared new knowledge and methods in the management and treatment of SCD in Nigeria.

MultiChoice Nigeria has supported the SCFN in a variety of ways, notably in supporting increased awareness about the disorder via documentaries covering key facts on SCD, which was broadcast across its DStv platform and other free to air channels in the country. MultiChoice Nigeria equally assisted the SCFN to generate funds for its activities through the placement of donation boxes in all its branches across the country, with collated funds sent to the SCFN account.