World Sickle Cell Day: KESCA steps up effort to empower over 2,000 members in Kebbi
The Kebbi State Sickle Cell Association (KESCA) has stepped up effort to mitigate economic and financial burden of over 2,000 members of the association in the state.
The Coordinator of the association in the state, Hajiya Khadija Yahaya-Shantali, made this known at the 2021 World Sickle Cell Day celebration in Birnin Kebbi on Saturday.
She said that the sickle cell disorder had emotional, economic and financial stresses to parents and siblings of the patient.
“In this regard, the KESCA has stepped up its humanitarian and non- governmental efforts to mitigate our 2,000 registered members from economic and financial burden of skill cell disorder.
“With the situation of the economy in this country, even the normal individuals are facing a lot of problems and challenges both financially and otherwise.
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“There is always a choice in the home between whether to by food or drugs for your sickle cell child,” she said.
Yahaya-Shantali revealed that the association had come up with programmes in 2021 to assist the SCD patients in the state.
“We are going to look at the members that have existing businesses with limited capital to empower them boost their businesses.
“We are all going to look at our members who are into cosmology, juice making, cake making, animal fattening and poultry.
“We are also going to provide skill acquisition training to our members that need skills on computer, art and craft, agriculture, tailoring, food management and restaurant management, among others,” she said.
She expressed optimism that the little assistance to the members would be able to find a means of livelihood to fend for themselves and finance their routine medication.
“The expectation is by next year, 50 per cent of our members will be empowered economically and financially.
” We are now into collaboration with Khadimiyya for Social Justice Initiative’s foundation to ensure more members of the KESCA are assisted in anyway possible in the state,” she said.
Yahaya-Shantali appealed to the state government to ensure protection of children and individuals living with SCD by ensuring the state sickle cell law.
The coordinator also thanked individuals as well as the KESCA team for their untiring support and donations.
Also speaking, the Project Manager of KESCA, Kabir Musa explained that the association had submitted a bill before the State House of Assemble seeking special treatment for Sickle Cell Anemia patients in hospital, insurance scheme cover and abolition of stigmatization of members among others.
The theme for this year is, mitigating the economic and financial burden of sickle cell disorder.
World Sickle Cell Day is observed each year on June 19. The observation is intended to raise awareness of sickle cell disease, as well as the challenges patients encounter.
