At The Garden of HOPE Foundation, we believe that we will rise by lifting others. This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we are putting that belief to work where it is needed most: in rural communities, through our Rural Healthcare Project.

Health is one of the seven pillars of The Garden of HOPE. Our founder, Egondu Onyejekwe, PhD, is a breast cancer survivor, a certified Oncology Patient Navigator and a Community Health Worker. She knows how much difference it makes when a person is screened early, understands their options, and has someone to walk beside them.

Why this work matters

Early detection saves lives. For routine breast cancer screening in the United States, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends a mammogram every two years for women aged 40 to 74. Women who have had breast cancer or have a high-risk history should follow their care team’s individual plan. Outside the United States, ask a qualified local health professional which screening and assessment options are right for you. At any age, a new breast change should be checked promptly.

Too many women are still diagnosed late. In the United States, Black women have a breast cancer death rate about 40 percent higher than White women, a gap that reflects barriers to timely diagnosis and quality treatment. In Nigeria, a 2025 review of studies found that most women with breast cancer are diagnosed at an advanced stage, when treatment is harder. In rural communities, the distance to care makes those barriers even greater.

Our Rural Healthcare Project

Our Rural Healthcare Project builds on work we have already been doing in Owerre-Nkwoji, Imo State, Nigeria. It rests on three commitments:

• Screening, diagnosis and good records:offering health screenings and diagnosis in the community, and documenting the results in our digital health databases, with privacy safeguards, so care can be tracked and improved over time
• Training Community Health Workers:equipping local CHWs with rural health development practices, so care and health education continue between outreach visits
• Treatment and care:connecting people who are diagnosed with the treatment, medication and follow-up care they need

Phase III Community Health Outreach: November 6, 2026

We are proud to announce our Phase III Community Health Outreach, in collaboration with the Nigeria Association of Pharmacists and Pharmaceutical Scientists in America (NAPPSA). The theme is “Pharmacy Health Outreach.”

• Date:Friday, November 6, 2026
• Time:10:00 a.m.
• Venue:Owerre-Nkwoji Community Health Centre, Nkwerre LGA, Imo State, Nigeria

The outreach will provide free health screenings, medical consultations, treatment and medications, and will support the establishment of a hospital drug formulary at the Health Centre. All sons and daughters of Owerre-Nkwoji, and all residents of the community, are warmly invited.

We are deeply grateful to our benefactor, Nze Emmanuel Chukwumaeze Ezirim, RPh (Onye-Omere-Na-Ndu), Chairman of our Board of Trustees and Immediate Past President of NAPPSA, for his continued commitment to the health and welfare of our people. We also thank NAPPSA’s President, Dr. Kunle Tometi, and President-Elect, Dr. Gerald Muforo, for their partnership.

Care. Screen. Save. Give Hope.

Sustaining the work: the Ribbon of Resilience

To keep this work going year after year, we are developing a proposed Ribbon of Resilience Health Endowment. It aims to support screening and good health records, CHW training, and treatment and care in rural communities, alongside culturally grounded breast health education in our own languages.

How you can help this October

1. Schedule your own screening, and encourage one other woman to do the same.
2. Share the Phase III Outreach announcementwith family and friends in and around Owerre-Nkwoji.
3. Join us in turning awareness into action. Whether through education, community partnerships, professional expertise or support for our health initiatives, there is a place for you in the Garden of HOPE.

To read our founder’s personal story, visit eglobal.space.

HOPE means Hands Outstretched, People Elevated. This October, let’s help one another rise.

The Garden of HOPE Foundation