Following the world cancer day marked recently, Shoprite and Run For a Cure Africa (RFCA) said they have screened about 3,127 women for breast cancer across Nigeria.
The event, tagged “The Big Pink Fight,” gave Nigerian women across all the six geo-political regions of the country an opportunity to undergo clinical breast exams, ultrasound scans and mammograms.
Four of the six screening stations were located at Shoprite supermarkets including Shoprite Asaba mall (Delta State), Shoprite Onitsha Mall (Anambra State), Shoprite Novare Gateway mall (Abuja) and Shoprite Ado Bayero Mall (Kano).
“As a result of Shoprite’s partnership with RFCA, which dates back to 2014, more than 8,000 women have now undergone screenings,” says Shoprite Nigeria’s Kunle Abiola.
Addressing newsmen at the Novare Gateway Mall Abuja during the event, Mr Abiola added: “We’re thrilled about the great turnout this year and we plan to roll this initiative out to more communities where we trade”.
Also commenting, Dr Ebele Mbanugo, the founder and executive director of RFCA, said: “Nearly a hundred percent of the time, women with breast cancer survive if the cancer is discovered early on; but unfortunately this number is reversed in Nigeria because of late detection.
“We are very pleased about the huge turnout of women in the states where we hosted this event with Shoprite. If more businesses partnered with us, we would be able to create even further awareness and reach out to thousands more women across our country.”
“Community development remains a priority for Shoprite and through the “Community Network” initiative, Shoprite has been able to enrich the lives of many underprivileged children and youths within Nigeria,” the leading African retailer said in a statement.
