How one woman’s death sparked a mission to save lives in Abuja suburbs

For many residents of the Dape 1 community in Abuja, a visit to the doctor is a luxury they can’t afford. It’s a choice between putting food on the table and paying for a check-up, especially when there are no obvious signs of illness.

This is the harsh reality that the Funmilayo Florence Babalola (FFB) Foundation is fighting to change, driven by a deeply personal tragedy.

On a recent Saturday, August 9, the local primary school was transformed into a bustling health clinic. The FFB Foundation, in collaboration with a team of dedicated volunteers and healthcare workers, offered free screenings and health education focused on non-communicable diseases like hypertension and diabetes.

According to Mary Nkem Babalola, the foundation’s Chief Operating Officer, the mission is to detect these "silent killer diseases" early.

"Most people have these diseases and they do not know about it," she explained. "It's when complications arise that people know—when they have a stroke, blindness, heart failure, or kidney disease."

This crucial initiative, known as the HYPE-D (Hypertension and Diabetes Early Detection) initiative, is fueled by a profound loss.

Hamzat Lawal, chairman of the foundation's advisory board, revealed the personal heartache behind their work.

"Because of lack of knowledge, lack of information, and lack of readily available healthcare, we lost [our] late mother.

"This is a way to ensure that her name does not go into extinction but also use the opportunity to reach out to other people because we've experienced losing a loved one and we don't want others to feel the pain we felt," he shared.

For the Dape 1 community, where a functional healthcare center is nonexistent, the outreach was a beacon of hope. Mrs. Yelshi Daniel, a 40-year-old mother of four, was one of many who lined up to be screened.

"I benefited from the test, the high blood pressure test, the sugar test, and the rest," she said, visibly relieved.

Her results were good, but her message to the government was clear: "They should be trying and go to different locations like this to have a good time with the poor people."

Another beneficiary, Farouk Otuoze, a 36-year-old accountant, stumbled upon the event by chance.

"I never knew. Honestly, there was no awareness before," he said.

While his results showed a fluctuating blood pressure, the intervention was a vital wake-up call.

"I would appreciate it if the government could have a kind of intervention like this to assist the vulnerable people in society," he added.

The FFB Foundation’s work is more than just a one-off event. It's a concerted effort to fill a gaping void in the healthcare system.

The foundation's board member, Andrew Echono, lamented that humanitarian efforts in Nigeria are "still below 50%" of what's needed.

He stressed the need for government collaboration and greater investment to bridge the wide healthcare gap.

The foundation hopes to continue its work, expanding its reach beyond Abuja. They believe that by catching these diseases early and linking people to care, they can save lives and prevent the kind of heartbreak that inspired their mission.

As Hamzat Lawal puts it, "a healthy population is a prosperous one," and through their work, the FFB Foundation is striving to build a healthier, more prosperous Nigeria, one community at a time.