A cancer-focused non-governmental organisation, Dorcas Health Foundation (DHF), says it has reached more than one million people through a 10-month awareness and screening campaign across tertiary institutions in Oyo State.
The foundation disclosed that no fewer than 2,200 students and staff directly benefited from its screening services during the outreach, which targeted early detection and prevention among young people.
Executive Director of DHF, Dr. Ekundayo Samuel, made this known in a statement issued on Tuesday in Lokoja, noting that the initiative has strengthened the organisation’s footprint as a leading grassroots advocate in cancer control.
According to the foundation, the intervention, tagged Project CARES (Campus-based Cancer Awareness and Rapid Early Screening) was implemented between June 2025 and March 2026 to address the rising incidence of cancer among youths.
DHF explained that young people are increasingly vulnerable due to shifting lifestyles, low levels of awareness, and inadequate preventive measures, factors that often lead to late diagnosis and poor health outcomes.
The project was carried out across five institutions in Ibadan, including the University of Ibadan, The Polytechnic Ibadan, Oyo State College of Nursing Sciences, Lead City University, and Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology.
Activities under the programme included stakeholder engagement sessions, educational seminars, and free cervical and prostate cancer screenings for eligible participants. The initiative also featured inter-institutional quiz competitions aimed at deepening cancer awareness among students.
To sustain impact beyond the campaign period, the foundation said it trained and appointed 100 cancer advocates, comprising 50 students and 50 staff across the institutions to drive peer-to-peer education and community engagement.
DHF added that the campaign leveraged both traditional and digital media platforms to expand its reach, ensuring that key messages on prevention and early detection resonated with a wider audience.
