A non-governmental organisation, The True-Life Projects Africa (TTLP Africa), has provided health insurance enrolment support for five vulnerable people living with sickle cell disease as part of efforts to improve access to healthcare and promote public awareness of the condition in Osogbo, Osun State.
The intervention was carried out through the organisation’s Sickle Cell Awareness and Promotion (SCAP) Project during its September Care Initiative 2026, which reached more than 400 community members with health education, medical services and psychosocial support.
The community medical outreach featured 75 completed genotype screenings, sickle cell counselling, health education, clinical consultations and the provision of essential medicines for common illnesses, including infections and non-communicable diseases.
The programme catered to both adults and children, while participants requiring additional medical attention were referred to appropriate healthcare facilities for further treatment where necessary.
Beyond the medical outreach, the SCAP Warrior Wellness Initiative provided selected people living with sickle cell disease and their caregivers with practical wellness kits to support their daily needs.
The initiative also strengthened the SCAP Warrior Support Group, which provides a platform for peer support, psychosocial wellbeing, health education and continued engagement among people living with sickle cell disease.
In a further demonstration of its commitment to improving healthcare access, the organisation, through its SCAP Health Access Fund, supported five vulnerable sickle cell warriors with enrolment in a health insurance scheme administered through the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).
Speaking on the initiative, the Executive Director of TTLP Africa, Dr Elijah Adodo, said the organisation believed that public awareness was more meaningful when it translated into access to essential services and practical support.
“We believe awareness becomes meaningful when people can act on the information they receive and access the support they need. Through this initiative, we brought medical services, wellness resources and health insurance support together to address different dimensions of the challenges faced by our communities, particularly people living with sickle cell disease,” Adodo said.
He described the achievements recorded during the pilot initiative as significant milestones, noting that reaching more than 400 community members, completing 75 genotype screenings and supporting five vulnerable warriors with health insurance enrolment reflected the programme’s impact.
The executive director expressed appreciation to the organisation’s partners, healthcare professionals, volunteers and project team for their contributions to the success of the initiative.
He added that TTLP Africa was committed to building on the results by strengthening access to continuous healthcare and support services for people living with sickle cell disease.
One of the beneficiaries’ parents, Mrs Alonge Mary, mother of Alonge Precious, expressed gratitude to the organisation for extending the support to her daughter.
“I want to appreciate this loving foundation for the heart of gold you have for the warriors. I sincerely thank you for counting my daughter worthy of the drugs and the health insurance enrolment. I pray that the Lord will bless you richly and that the organisation will continue to move forward,” she said.
TTLP Africa assured the public that the initiative would be sustained, with plans to extend health insurance enrolment support to more vulnerable people living with sickle cell disease.
The organisation also said it would strengthen its monitoring and evaluation activities to track beneficiaries’ access to medical care, assess their progress and promote quality control and effective healthcare service delivery.
It reiterated its appreciation to partners and other stakeholders whose contributions helped make the outreach possible, stressing that the September Care Initiative was the beginning of broader efforts to reduce healthcare barriers and improve the wellbeing of sickle cell warriors.
