October is Breast Cancer awareness month, focused on honouring millions of lives affected and affirming commitment to quality healthcare. One woman driving this cause is, Ebunola Anozie, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Care Organisation Public Enlightenment (C.O.P.E), a nonprofit organisation mitigating the breast cancer mortality rate in Nigeria. She has spent the last three decades on advocacy, breast cancer outreach, and community awareness. This has earned her national and international awards in recognition of her service and relentless dedication to the fight against breast cancer. She has partnered with the Nigerian government, various local and international companies, organisations, and individuals to provide financial and physical support to breast cancer patients and survivors in Nigeria. In this interview, she speaks on her activities in the last 30 years as well as achieving to milestone in Breast Cancer awareness.
C.O.P.E was born out of a deeply personal experience, losing both parents to cancer and facing your own breast cancer scare. Can you take us back to that moment and what pushed you to turn your pain into purpose?
When you lose both parents to cancer and then you deal with your own scare, it forces you to confront what really matters. So, for me, it wasn’t just grief, it was also a moment of awakening. My mother died of colorectal cancer at just 35 years and my father from stomach cancer at 63 years. After my father passed, I travelled to the U.S to process my grief. One day, I saw a breast cancer awareness campaign on TV and I remembered that I had been experiencing some discomfort in my breast that I had been ignoring and so I decided to get it checked at the hospital. Thankfully it turned out to be nothing. But it changed everything for me. I felt in my heart that I had to do something when I returned to Nigeria. I thought to myself that many other women might be feeling the same thing I had been experiencing but don’t have the right information or support system and I felt I could help. I also wanted to make sure that my parents’ deaths weren’t in vain. I wanted to create what I wished my family had, a place of credible information and care. That conviction became the foundation of C.O.P.E. And so, when I returned, I brought back books about breast cancer and started reading. Eventually, a few months later, I quit my job in finance and used my small inheritance to start the organisation in 1995.
When you started this journey 30 years ago, what was the public perception of breast cancer in Nigeria, and how did you begin changing that narrative?
Breast cancer conversations in Nigeria were taboo at that time. We were the first organisation speaking and educating women and men (because men do have breast cancer) about it. I was ridiculed for talking about it. People would tease me. Many women didn’t want to talk out of fear and shame. People also thought a diagnosis was an automatic death sentence. There was so much fear, but we broke that silence one conversation at a time. We started by talking openly in churches, mosques, markets, secondary schools, universities, communities, and organisations. We taught young girls and women to know their bodies and to check early. We showed women that early detection can save their lives. Over time, that fear began to shift into knowledge which gave many women power and most importantly hope. Today, it’s heartwarming to see women in Nigeria proudly wearing pink ribbons, walking for awareness and encouraging each another to get screened. That transformation is proof that change is possible when we stay consistent, no matter how difficult it is at first.
What major challenges have you faced in driving awareness and ensuring access to early detection, especially for women in low-income communities?
The biggest challenge has always been access. Many women still have to choose between feeding their families and getting screened. Many can’t afford to travel for a screening if it is not provided in their cities or states or might not even know where to go. Some still allow cultural myths to get the best of them. Thankfully awareness is growing, but affordability and proximity to quality care remain major barriers. That’s why we initially took screenings to women. We had to be creative by partnering with organisations, local leaders, respected voices in the community, and of course survivor advocates to get out the information. We have wonderful partners who donate so that women can have access to free quality breast healthcare which is an important first line of defense in addressing breast cancer. But the truth is, until quality healthcare becomes affordable and accessible to every woman in Nigeria, the breast cancer mortality reduction rates won’t happen as fast as we would want. And that’s why we appeal to organisations and well-meaning individuals to partner with us, and to state and federal governments to make sure that government clinics and hospitals are well equipped. It’s important for health insurance programmes to cover basic breast health services such as ultrasounds and mammograms, so that every woman, regardless of income, can detect cancer early and receive the necessary treatment without having to spend millions of naira. Cancer treatment is expensive so if you can catch it early, it makes a really big difference. We encourage women to come to our office to have their breasts screened, for free, every third Saturday of the month (February-November). October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and our next free screening opportunity, which is being sponsored by STL Trustees, takes place today, October 25th from 10:00am-2:00pm prompt. We hope women will join us.
After three decades of working closely with patients and survivors, is there a particular story that has stayed with you and continually reaffirms your commitment?
There’s a woman who came to us a few years ago who had taken advantage of our free monthly screenings because she had been feeling uncomfortable. During the screening, the sonographer noticed a tiny lump which looked suspicious and advised her to see her doctor immediately. She quickly did all that she was asked and followed up with the next steps. After all the necessary tests, the lump turned out to be cancerous. Her doctor gave her two options: have a mastectomy without chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy or keep the breast and have both chemotherapy and radiotherapy. She made the brave decision to go with the mastectomy. Months later, she came to purchase prosthetic items and shared her story with so much gratitude that she caught the cancer early. She told me “Madam, C.O.P.E saved my life.” Today, she’s one of our most passionate advocates. Stories like hers are an important reminder that this is why we do this work.
On a personal level, how do you manage the emotional weight that comes with supporting women and families facing such life-altering diagnoses?
It’s never easy. There are moments when I almost give up and days when the stories stay with me and the staff long after we leave the office. For example, when we don’t have enough funding or we lose someone we tried so hard to support, it weighs heavily on you. But I remind myself that I can’t carry it all.
No one truly can or else you’ll break down. I’ve learned to draw strength from small victories. It can be a woman who comes with a friend to have her breasts checked, a woman that we are able to raise money for that finishes treatment, or a woman who feels hopeful after a mastectomy. Other times, it’s a survivor who raises money to help another woman buy prosthesis or a married woman that comes in with her husband to check her breasts or buy prosthesis (you’d be surprised how many women aren’t supported). Some days are really hard because breast cancer, and quite frankly cancer in general, is a really humbling and terrible disease, but the resilience I see in women gives me hope and keeps us going.
As someone whose faith and conviction have clearly guided your path, how have they sustained you through moments of doubt or difficulty?
Yes, my faith is the backbone of everything I do. As you can imagine, there were times when we didn’t know how we would pay rent or keep the organisation running, but God and our remarkable partners always made a way. When I doubt or get really weary, I remember how far we’ve come. I also believe this work was placed in my hands for a reason and so that keeps me going. I’ve also come to understand that when you’re called to do something bigger than yourself, grace and opportunity always finds a way but you have to do the hard work.
What do you envision for the next chapter of the organisation, and what legacy do you hope it leaves in Nigeria’s healthcare and advocacy space?
Our next chapter is about building a permanent home for C.O.P.E. We turn the big 30 this year and while we’ll be celebrating how far we’ve come, we’re also looking ahead to the next 30 years. We are planning for a comprehensive breast cancer center that brings screening, treatment support, counselling, referrals, education, research, and survivor services together under one roof. A place where young girls, women, and families feel seen and informed. Our vision is to reach millions of more women by 2030 through screenings, education, and advocacy, and we know we can only achieve that through collaboration with committed institutions and individuals, and of course, prospective partners who share our mission of mitigating the breast cancer mortality rate in Nigeria. What I want and hope is for C.O.P.E to stand as proof that compassion, intentionality, and consistency can transform public health in Nigeria. That’s the legacy we are working towards, a comprehensive breast cancer resource centre that truly serves the needs of young girls, women, and families in Nigeria.
