Project PINK BLUE is on a journey to change the way Africans think about cancer.
The Project PINK BLUE – Health & Psychological Trust Centre is a cancer organization engaged in cancer awareness, free cancer screenings, patient navigation, advocacy, fundraising, cancer research and psychological support.
They passionately connect with the urban cancer patients as well as the hard-to-reach communities, all while revolutionizing Nigeria’s health sector. Their goal is to reduce the incidence of cancer and phase out advanced/late diagnoses of the disease in Nigeria.
Project PINK BLUE’s goals are;
- To change the way Africans think about cancer by demystifying the disease through community outreach that is culturally relevant and socially acceptable.
- To phase-out late/advanced diagnosis of cancer through the provision of cancer screenings.
- To provide cancer support programmes for poor, rural and hard-to-reach communities.
- To advocate for people battling with cancer and provide psychological support through cancer navigation.
- To stimulate cancer research and advocacy as a central measure for cancer control in Nigeria and Africa.
Every year, Project PINK BLUE hosts Nigeria’s largest World Cancer Day Walk – The Pink October Walk in Lagos. Through a program called Show Love, the organization also raises funds to support indigent women battling cancer – as only 5% of Nigerians are covered by health insurance.
By including women battling cancer at the forefront of its cancer advocacy, Project PINK BLUE has made remarkable progress in health policy. The organization influenced the signing of a bill to establish the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment by the President of Nigeria. They also launched the program, ‘Upgrade Oncology,’ to provide medical oncology training to 44 doctors from 11 university teaching hospitals.
In 2020, Project PINK BLUE’s founder and director, Runcie CW Chidebe, won the Distinguished Advocacy Award from the International Gynecological Cancer Society for his outstanding advocacy throughout Nigeria and in global forums,including the development of numerous programs to serve the most needy, and changing cancer awareness and care for women throughout Nigeria. In 2017, with just nine women in Abuja, Runcie founded the first cancer support group for women with uterine, breast, and cervical cancer. To-date, the group has grown to 75 patients and become the Network of People Impacted by Cancer in Nigeria (NePICiN). He is also co-leading a coalition of civil societies focused on ensuring that all eligible Nigerian girls receive the HPV vaccine.
The World Ovarian Cancer Coalition is very proud to have Runcie on our Board of Directors, as well as on the Advisory Committee for the Every Woman Study: Low- and Middle- Income Countries Edition. He continues to influence the direction of the coalition and provide valuable guidance in all of our endeavors.