Multichoice, NGO Tackle Sickle Cell

Multichoice, Nigeria’s leading provider of premium pay-TV services, in partnership with the Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria, has launched a mini-documentary tagged: “Keeping Hope Alive,” to help create awareness on the Sickle Cell disorder in Nigeria and providing hope to patients not to see it as an end to life.  The Managing Director, Multchoice Nigeria, Joseph Hundah, revealed that the documentary would be screened on popular DSTV channels and free-to-air television stations all over the country.

Hundah stated that about 150,000 Nigerian children were born each year with the Sickle Cell adding that it is a phenomenon that should pose worry to every African and Nigerian in particular because the African continent has the highest incidence of the scourge in the world. 

He revealed that Multichoice was persuaded to partner with the Sickle Cell Foundation to not only create awareness for the scourge’s disorder but also help raise funds to support the foundation’s activities in its bid to fight the disorder.

Hundah maintained that the documentary was not designed to discriminate against affected persons, but to show how affected persons can live a normal life with it.

In his words “It is a documentary of faith and life designed to keep our hopes alive and to let every affected person in the country understand that Sickle Cell disorder is not a death sentence, as there’s life abundant even with Sickle Cell disorder.”

While noting that success in the quest would depend on research, awareness, logistics, financial support as well as mental health training for health practitioners, Hundah called on well-meaning Nigerians to join in the fight by lending support in cash and kind to the crusade.

Multichoice Managing Director also canvassed support of the media executives for a successful campaign on the scourge.

“I want to make a passionate appeal to the chief executives of the different television stations and other electronic media to assist us in extending the reach of our documentary by screening it on their platforms. I have no doubt that with our collective efforts, we will help in keeping hope alive,” he stated.

Also speaking, the chairman, Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria, Prof Olu Akinyaju, commended Multichoice Nigeria for its support and voluntary initiative on Sickle Cell.

Akinyaju expressed hopes that the multichoice initiative would go a long way in helping the foundation achieve some of its objectives.