Pay-television provider MultiChoice Nigeria has announced its sponsorship of the 2019 Sickle Cell Genetic Counseling workshop, organised by the Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria (SCFN).
The workshop, which began on 29 April and ends on 10 May, will hold at the National Sickle Cell Centre, Idi Araba in Lagos.
The workshop is aimed at raising awareness about and deepening understanding of the Sickle Cell Disorder (SCD) as well as pointing out ways that SCD victims could lead normal lives.
In his opening remarks, the chairman of Sickle Cell Foundation, Nigeria, Prof. Olu Akinyanju commended MultiChoice for supporting the Foundation for so many years and sponsoring the 18th edition of genetic counseling workshop.
He also appealed to other corporate bodies to emulate the kind gesture of MultiChoice Nigeria.
MultiChoice Nigeria’s sponsorship of the workshop is in continuation of its support for the management and treatment of SCD in Nigeria, which is spearheaded by the SCFN.
Conscious of the importance of awareness and research to the control of SCD, MultiChoice Nigeria, in 2009, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SCFN.
The partnership officially made the control of SCD in the country a key Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) undertaking by MultiChoice Nigeria.
Since then, MultiChoice Nigeria has supported the SCFN in a variety of ways, notably in supporting increased awareness about the disorder via documentaries covering key facts on SCD, which was broadcast across its DStv platform and other free to air channels in the country.
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MultiChoice Nigeria equally assisted the SCFN to generate funds for its activities through the placement of donation boxes in all its branches across the country, with collated funds sent to the SCFN account.
Explaining the sponsorship of the Sickle Cell Genetic Counseling Workshop, Chief Executive Officer, MultiChoice Nigeria, John Ugbe said MultiChoice Nigeria is an organization that promotes values and views its support for the workshop as well as other contributions to the fight against SCD as part of its propagation of strong family values.
“As an organization that promotes family values we cannot but contribute to the fight against Sickle Cell Disorder in Nigeria. We will continue to support this fight in partnership with the SCFN.
“From time to time, we have been supporting the SCFN in many ways, including the development of awareness materials, fundraising through donation boxes at our offices and donation of vehicles for its operations,” said Ugbe.
