In Imo State, Nigeria, a school-based awareness campaign transforms health education into advocacy and hope for the next generation. Written by Sr. Grace Akunna John-Emezi, HHCJ.
On October 31, 2025, as part of the closing activities for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we carried out an awareness and education campaign at Ahiazu Community Secondary School, Lude, Mbaise, in Imo State, Nigeria.
The program, held at a mixed secondary school in southeastern Nigeria, proved both enlightening and inspiring. It provided a unique opportunity to introduce health education into the lives of young people—especially girls—at an age when awareness and understanding can shape a lifetime of healthy choices.
Breaking the Silence: From Shyness to Empowerment
At first, many of the students appeared shy and hesitant. In our culture, topics about the human body are often treated as private or even taboo. Discussing breast health in public, especially among teenagers, was new territory for most of them.
However, as the session progressed, the atmosphere began to change. With simple language, clear explanations, and practical demonstrations of how to perform breast self-examinations, curiosity began to replace discomfort.
Soon, the students were asking thoughtful questions—not only about themselves but also about their mothers, sisters, grandmothers, girlfriends, and future families. Their openness revealed how deeply this information resonated.
Breast Cancer Awareness: Dispelling Myths, Building Understanding
One of the most striking realizations from the session was how little many of the students knew about breast cancer before that day. Some were hearing for the first time that men can also develop breast cancer. In contrast, others attributed the disease to curses or spiritual attacks—a reflection of common misconceptions in many rural communities.
By addressing these myths with truth and compassion, we were able to open minds and change perspectives. The discussion hovered around the importance of early detection, healthy lifestyle choices, and regular medical checkups. Knowledge, shared in love, became liberation.
A Community Learns Together
The presence of teachers, alumni, and the school principal added great value to the day. They encouraged the students and expressed a commitment to sustain breast cancer awareness within the school community.
A particularly touching moment for me was a personal conversation with one of the teachers, who courageously shared her story as a breast cancer survivor. Her testimony gave the message greater depth—it turned awareness into witness, and information into hope.
By the end of the session, the sense of empowerment was visible. The students pledged to share what they had learned with others—turning knowledge into advocacy. What began as a health talk became a slight movement of hope in motion.
Education as Transformation
This experience reminded me that health education is not just about information—it is about transformation.
Bringing breast cancer awareness to schools is an act of hope, ensuring that the next generation grows up informed, confident, and proactive about their health. In a country like Nigeria, where late diagnosis and social stigma still cause preventable deaths, such initiatives are not merely awareness events—they are life-saving missions.
Each conversation, each demonstration, each question answered brings us one step closer to a world where no one suffers in silence.
Sr. Grace Akunna John-Emezi, HHCJ, serves with the Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus and is a community health advocate with a focus on education and women’s empowerment.
