FemCare Initiative

PATIENT IDENTIFICATION CHALLENGE; Nigeria

PROVEN INTERVENTION TO BE DISTRIBUTED

Cervical cancer screenings

Learn more about the Patient Identification Challenge and why identifying individuals in need of medical treatment and finding ways to make that treatment accessible reduces poverty.  

DISTRIBUTION MODEL INNOVATION

FemCare Initiative is dedicated to ensuring no woman in Nigeria dies of cervical cancer by combining awareness in local dialects, VIA screenings, and follow-up.

The pilot will launch in Irrua, Edo State, Nigeria, where awareness and access to cervical cancer screening remain very low. FemCare Initiative uses a women-to-women model that brings together community health workers, cervical cancer survivors, and medical volunteers. Survivors share their stories in the local dialect, building trust and motivating women to seek screening. Community health workers provide quality VIA screening, mobilize women, and ensure referrals for positive cases, while the team and medical volunteers support with outreach, education, and distribution of culturally appropriate materials. What sets FemCare Initiative apart is how they combine survivors’ voices with medical care, making screening both trusted and accessible.

FemCare Initiative was founded in 2025 by a team of medical doctors, Dr. Victory Ifeanyichukwu Uzoma. Dr. Joan Erhazele, and Dr. Chinonso Arinze, all passionate about women’s health. Dr. Victory serves as Executive Director and Team Lead, Dr. Joan leads Operations, and Dr. Arinze oversees Communications and Patient Navigation. Together, the team combines medical expertise, community project experience, and a shared commitment to reducing cervical cancer deaths in Nigeria.

PILOT AND SCALING GOALS

• Conduct awareness and community sensitization on cervical cancer screening to 4,500 women during the pilot.

• Screen 500 women for cervical cancer using VIA, link positive cases to treatment centers and carry out follow-up care.

• Fundraise USD 10,000 during the pilot.

FOUNDING TEAM

Dr. Victory Ifeanyichukwu Uzoma - Executive Director

Dr. Arinze Chinonso Augustus - Head of Communications & Patient Navigation

Dr. Joan Ewanose Erhazele - Operations Officer

Karatu Learning

Teaching at the Right Level CHALLENGE; Nigeria

PROVEN INTERVENTION TO BE DISTRIBUTED

Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) Education Program

Learn more about the Teaching at the Right Level Challenge and how an evidence-based foundational learning program can improve primary literacy and numeracy in low-resource schools.

DISTRIBUTION MODEL INNOVATION

Karatu Learning aims to improve literacy and numeracy skills among primary school children in Nigeria, using the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach and the Language Learning from Familiar to Formal (L2F2) methodology.

They will also partner with the TaRL Nigeria office to provide comprehensive training and technical support for teachers and facilitators on the TaRL and L2F2 approaches, equipping them with the skills to assess and group students effectively.

They will employ National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and recently graduated and unemployed youth to act as Volunteer facilitators for the program. The experienced class teachers from the pilot schools will supervise the volunteer facilitators. They intend to partner with the Kano State Universal Basic Education Board and the State Ministry of Education to secure necessary approvals and ensure alignment with educational policies.

Karatu Learning's founding team consists of two dedicated members: Innocent Waziri and Blessing Onyemene. Both members are seasoned educators with extensive experience spanning the public, private, and humanitarian sectors of education.

PILOT AND SCALING GOALS

• Reach 300 students within three months.

• Distribute the intervention in 4 public schools to reach 300 students.

• Fundraise an additional $50,000.

FOUNDING TEAM

Innocent Waziri - Chair

Blessing Onyemene - Program Leader