Promoting cancer prevention through World Cancer Day in Nigeria

Funding

The World Cancer Day Walk (WCDW) in Abuja was hosted by Project PINK BLUE on Feb 1, 2020, with the objective of promoting public awareness of cancer risk factors, preventive lifestyle strategies, and importance of early screening as crucial elements of prevention and control. At the event, volunteer nurses, laboratory scientists, and doctors provided clinical breast examinations, cervical cancer screening using visual inspection with acetic acid, and prostate-specific antigen tests to eligible individuals after prescreening psychological counselling by volunteer psychologists. Basic medical and obesity checks such as blood pressure and BMI were done. All participants with abnormal findings on screening were sent to partner facilities for further screenings, such as mammogram, digital rectal examination, and cervical smear testing. Cancer prevention messages were translated into Nigerian languages, including Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, and Nigerian Pidgin English, and distributed to the public on the streets during the WCDW. Once the WCDW started, volunteer cyclists began a 30 km cycle, runners followed 5–10 km running routes, power bike motorcyclists rode for 40 km, and volunteers on roller skates with flags skated in between the walk stop points. During the walk, volunteer medical professionals used a public address system to broadcast educational messages to the public. With only nine staff, Project PINK BLUE mobilised hundreds of volunteers aged 18–50 years to support World Cancer Day teams, such as volunteers from clinical, psychological, research, fundraising, communication, broadcaster, press, logistics, protocol, mapping, accommodation, volunteer welfare, registration, security, crowd control, public mobilisation, and sales and merchandise backgrounds. No previous experience was required to volunteer because all the team were supported by the Project PINK BLUE staff and experienced volunteers.