In commemoration of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, Access Bank’s ‘W’ Initiative, a flagship women empowerment program, organised a breast cancer awareness campaign for eight weeks, from October 16 – December 12, 2020. The campaign spread awareness about the realities of breast cancer in Nigeria and also created opportunities for Nigerian women to get free screenings by trained medical experts.

This campaign which aimed at improving community awareness on health issues that affect women and their families, screened over 300 women in Lagos, Abuja and Port-Harcourt. In addition to complementary cervical screening in Lagos, courtesy of partner hospitals, female staff of Access Bank also benefitted from the campaign, enjoying access to the breast cancer screenings.

Speaking on the impact of the campaign, Ayona Trimnell, Group Head – W Initiative, Access Bank Plc, said, “We are very delighted to see all the Nigerian women we were able to support with our breast cancer awareness campaign. Breast cancer is a major health issue affecting women in Nigeria, with little attention been placed on its impact. We encourage the women who participated from the free screenings and other women across Nigeria to continue to have regular check-ups from their gynaecologists and also enlighten other women on the importance of a regular breast screening.”

“At Access Bank, we hope to do so much more for the women who have trusted us with their resources as we launch new campaigns that would educate, enlighten, and provide them with the financial assistance they need to live healthy and full lives,” she concluded.

The W Initiative has become home to everything Access Bank has to offer women. These privileges range from both financial to lifestyle needs. Under the initiative, participating women and their families have been awarded access to a wide range of privileges including access to credit facilities to not only fund women owned businesses but also healthcare needs.