ASEC News

Visit to Medical Missionaries of Mary Clinic

African Sisters Education Collaborative (ASEC)

Sr. Eunice graduated from ASECโ€™s SLDI program, Finance Track, in 2009.

ASEC staff visits the Medical Missionaries of Mary Clinic in Abuja, Nigeria to meet with an alumna who raised funds for live-saving cervical cancer screen equipment.

In January 2016, I visited the Medical Missionaries of Mary Clinic, ACO Hosing Estate, New Lugbe, Abuja, Nigeria, where Sr. Eunice Okobia, MMM, is the Matron in charge of the Hospital.

Sr. Eunice graduated from ASEC’s SLDI Finance Track in 2009 and is one of the beneficiaries of the SLDI Alumnae Signature Grant through which she received funding under a pilot program with the Catholic Sisters Initiative at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to purchase a Cervical Screening machine in June 2015.

“ASEC is a life-saving organization”, Sr. Eunice stated upon seeing my greeting her.

Cancer awareness is one of the activities carried out at the hospital. Due to high poverty levels and lack of educational resources in the area, maternal healthcare is often difficult to access. Community members give birth to many children, and many of the children are malnourished. Cases of HIV/AIDS, cancer, STDs, hepatitis, typhoid and even malaria are the norm, not isolated cases, unfortunately.

“The death tolls are felt across ages through the community and these deadly diseases are very rampant among women and men across all ages of people”, said Sr. Eunice and that is why “… it is important to give this awareness to the villagers”.

Sr. Eunice leads educational activities at the clinic twice per week and include patient screenings and information on pre-natal care, baby delivery, HIV/AIDS and cancer awareness. Obtaining cervical screening equipment “… has made our work a lot easier”, Sr. Eunice said. More importantly, she added,

“cervical cancer risk can be reduced through various measures, including the human papilloma virus vaccine and sexual abstinence before marriage.”

Will you become a Ray of Hope? With your donation of...

๐Ÿ’œ $3 = You help train a religious Sister for 1 day
๐Ÿ’œ $20 = You help train a Sister for 1 week
๐Ÿ’œ $85 = You help train a Sister for 1 month
๐Ÿ’œ $250 = You help train a Sister for 3 months
๐Ÿ’œ $500 = You provide training to a Sister for 6 months
๐Ÿ’œ $1,000 = You provide training to a Sister for 1 year

Will you join us and give a gift of education? Donate today and make a difference for years to come. Your impact is a great blessing ๐Ÿ’œ

Donate

Through Medical Missionaries of Mary Clinic, community outreach extends to 20 villages. Cervical screening is free for everyone and there is a fee charge if treatment is needed. However, Sr. Eunice pointed out that some women’s groups such as “Poor Widows” members can receive both screenings and treatment – free of charge.

According to the World Health Organization, it is estimated that over 1 million women worldwide are currently living with cervical cancer. Many have no access to health services for prevention, curative treatment or palliative care. Cervical cancer is associated with infection by human papilloma virus (HPV).

Regular cervical screening and vaccination can save thousands of life every year and ASEC is making access to life-saving screenings a reality.

Read more about Sr. Eunice and the Medical Missionaries of Mary.

Want to join our movement?

Three easy ways you can make a difference:

Donate Now ยป

This article is addressing the following UN Sustainable Development Goal(s):

Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

Sr. Eunice Okobia, MMM
Profiled in article
SLDI Alumna, Finance Track (2009) - Nigeria  

Sr. Clementina Obembe, OSF

Sr. Clementina Obembe, OSF
Author
HESA Alumna and former ASEC Regional Director for West Africa - Nigeria  

Amy Fedele

Amy Fedele
Editor
Former ASEC Media & Communications Manager - USA  

Leave a comment ยป

Keep Reading...

Bringing Light to the Darkness: Catholic Sisters on the Front Lines in Africa

Catholic sisters have become a critical component of emergency response among local African communities in crisis.

Nun's Radio Show Disseminates COVID-19 Info to Zambians in Multiple Languages

Sr. Astridah is using the leadership skills she learned in ASEC's SLDI program to share critical health information about COVID-19 pandemic to 1.5 million Zambians via a multilingual radio show.

Following the Ripples - How Educating One Person Can Benefit Hundreds in Need

The stories of four African women who used their education to change the lives of hundreds of people they serve.

Back to news ยป