The Onyebuchi Chris Ifediora (OCI) Foundation International has called for stronger collaboration with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to expand the Arm Our Youths (ArOY) Anti-Cancer Health Campaign to all 37 NYSC orientation camps across Nigeria.
Speaking at the retraining of NYSC officers and state campaign anchors in Abuja, the President of the OCI Foundation, Associate Professor Chris Ifediora, said the initiative was established to equip young Nigerians with knowledge on the prevention and early detection of breast and cervical cancers.
Ifediora explained that the campaign received the support of the NYSC leadership in 2021 and has since grown into one of Nigeria’s largest youth-led preventive health programmes, completing 26 editions across most NYSC orientation camps.
The President, represented by the management staff of the Foundation, Lady Frances Nkem said the initiative now reaches more than 500,000 corps members annually with life-saving cancer awareness and health education.
According to her, “the campaign has also expanded its impact through community outreach programmes, social media campaigns, volunteer networks and the CerviBreast mobile application.”
She urged all NYSC officers and campaign anchors participating in the training to complete the Foundation’s online certification programme within two weeks, stressing that innovation and technology remain vital tools for improving access to cancer prevention and healthcare services.
The Foundation appealed to the NYSC leadership to support the campaign’s expansion to full nationwide coverage and formally establish the ArOY Health Campaign Community Development Service (CDS) group to sustain health promotion activities throughout the year.
The Foundation also announced plans to strengthen cervical cancer screening in NYSC orientation camps and unveil a new national initiative, the Basic Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Response Strategies (BACERS) programme, aimed at equipping Nigerian youths with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and emergency response skills.
Also speaking, the Director, CDS and Special Projects at the NYSC, Chief Chiwendu Chukwu, described cancer as one of the world’s leading public health challenges and reaffirmed the Scheme’s commitment to combating breast and cervical cancers through awareness, early detection and community education under the ArOY Anti-Cancer Health Campaign.
Chukwu said the initiative would create a new generation of young advocates for cancer prevention by equipping corps members with life-saving knowledge that they could share in their host communities.
He stressed the critical role of NYSC Schedule Officers in ensuring the successful implementation of the programme and urged them to participate actively in the training as well as effectively coordinate the campaign in their respective states.
The Director also commended the OCI Foundation for its commitment to improving public health through its partnership with the NYSC and expressed confidence that the collaboration would strengthen cancer awareness, promote early detection and ultimately save more lives through sustained community engagement across the country.
