In a bold step toward raising awareness about sickle cell disorder, Mrs. Frances Ben-Ushie, the Coordinator of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Edo, inaugurated the Florish Foundation for Women and Youth on Thursday. The foundation’s launch coincided with the ongoing orientation of the 2024 Batch C Stream II corps members.
As the President and Founder of the newly established foundation, Mrs. Ben-Ushie expressed her commitment to educating the public about the severe implications of sickle cell disorder in Nigeria, a country noted for its high prevalence of the condition.
She commented on her decision to create the foundation, stating, “I stumbled into the fact that Nigeria has a lot of people that have sickle cell disorder, and people are still, out of ignorance and carelessness, still having children with the disorder.”
Targeting women and youth—demographics particularly vulnerable to the disorder—the Florish Foundation aims to extend its advocacy efforts throughout Edo State and later to other regions, particularly within the South-South zone of Nigeria. “So what we are doing is that we want to start from Edo State and move to other areas,” she shared.
Mrs. Ben-Ushie highlighted the pivotal role of NYSC members in this initiative, indicating that the corps members would engage in awareness campaigns within their communities.
“We have 1,737 corps members for the 2024 batch C stream II orientation, and they will be carrying out the advocacy with the councils, ministries of health and education,” she noted, emphasizing the corps members’ widespread reach across all 18 local government areas in Edo State.
The NYSC coordinator acknowledged the support received from various stakeholders, including the Director-General of NYSC, the Minister of Youth, and Governor Monday Okpebholo, which facilitated the foundation’s establishment. She also pointed out that the foundation emerged from a 2022 training program focused on establishing non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for NYSC officers.
Notably, Mrs. Ben-Ushie clarified that the Florish Foundation operates independently from her role as NYSC Coordinator, remarking, “This is not the state coordinator or NYSC, though, because the next coordinator may not have been trained by NYSC to carry out this assignment.”
In a proactive move to assist corps members, she announced free genotype tests for those unaware of their genetic status. The orientation session also featured a lecture from Dr. Udi Ese, a medical practitioner who informed the corps members about the causes, preventive measures, and management strategies for sickle cell disease.
Dr. Ese highlighted the misconception that sickle cell disorder is often linked to spiritual issues, noting, “Sickle cell disorder is responsible for many children-related diseases in Nigeria, which are typically attributed to witches or ogbanje.”
As part of their commitment to the cause, corps volunteer advocates Rokib Alata and Juliet Uzoma pledged to disseminate information regarding sickle cell disorder in their respective placements throughout the country. The launch of the Florish Foundation marks a crucial initiative in the ongoing battle against sickle cell disorder in Nigeria.
