US-Based Organisation Launches Free Medical Outreach for Anambra Women

A humanitarian organisation, Anambra Women Union Incorporated, based in Chicago, USA, has launched a free medical outreach for women in Anambra State.

The initiative was unveiled at the Prof. Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre, Awka, by the President of the Union, Lady Sophia Ekwensi-Ojukwu, who explained that the programme forms part of the organisation’s corporate social responsibility aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of less privileged women.

Ekwensi-Ojukwu stated that the medical outreach would strengthen the state government’s efforts through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare to empower women across various sectors.

Represented by Mrs. Blessing Nweke from the Ministry of Women Affairs, she said, “Health remains one of our top priorities, which is why we are offering these free services to vulnerable women in Anambra State. This effort also supports the government’s continuous campaign for healthy living.”

She further revealed that beneficiaries were enrolled in the Anambra Health Insurance Agency (ASHIA) scheme, with each participant’s annual premium of ₦12,000 fully covered by the organisation.

“Our goal as a women’s body is to strengthen the capacity of the state government through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, to ensure that Anambra women are empowered in all aspects of life,” she added.

Ekwensi-Ojukwu commended the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Ify Obinabo, and the ASHIA management team for their dedication to improving the welfare of women in the state.

Beneficiaries expressed gratitude for the gesture and pledged to share the knowledge gained during the exercise within their communities.

The event also featured a breast self-examination demonstration and a health sensitisation lecture titled “Turning Awareness into Action to End Breast Cancer,” delivered by Prof. Chukwudi Okani, a consultant oncologist from Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam.

The outreach, conducted across the three senatorial districts of Anambra State, included breast cancer awareness campaigns, mammogram registrations, and health insurance enrolment for vulnerable women, in partnership with the State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare.