Each year, more than 300,000 babies are born with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD)—75% in Sub-Saharan Africa. More than half of these African children will die before they turn five years old. Nearly 9 in 10 won’t survive long enough to celebrate their 18th birthday. Despite these sobering statistics, Africa lacks the large-scale public health interventions that have helped countries like Jamaica significantly decrease SCD childhood mortality rates. 

In Nigeria, which accounts for approximately 25% of the world’s sickle cell births, the Shalom Sickle Cell Foundation is working tirelessly to reverse the trends. After connecting with the foundation in Lagos, we’ve partnered to provide life-saving medications and vital public education through its Support a Warrior program.

The Nonprofit’s Mission

The Shalom Sickle Cell Foundation raises awareness and ensures quality healthcare for all people living with the disorder, which afflicts more than 200,000 children each year across Sub-Saharan Africa. Its vision is a nation free of SCD. Its vehicles for progress include the distribution of free medications and medical support, genotype testing, awareness walks and educational seminars. Through its Support a Warrior program, the Shalom Sickle Cell Foundation connects carriers with medications, routine drugs and critical healthcare resources—minimizing their financial burden and maximizing their quality of life.

Our Collaboration

In the United States, we rarely hear about sickle cell. Thanks to a vaccine introduced decades ago, the disorder’s mortality rate among U.S. kids three years old and younger decreased by 68% between 1986 and 2002. In one newborn screening, the SCD mortality rate in California was 1.5 per 100 African American children. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the disorder kills 90% of children before they turn 18.

For a sickle cell child in Africa, the best prognosis is to endure 18 years of suffering. But a different reality is possible. Sickle cell children want to get educated. They want to be the next generation to pull themselves out of poverty. An extra 50 or 60 years of life is within reach; all it takes is consistent medication and education. These vital resources are the cornerstones of the Support a Warrior program.

AiDEMONEY is committed to balancing profit and purpose. At the heart of that mission is partnerships with NGOs like the Shalom Sickle Cell Foundation. After learning more about the nonprofit’s mission and how it administers aid, we knew it was the right partner to deliver tangible progress for individuals living with sickle cell. By sponsoring Support a Warrior programs in Lagos and Ibadan, we funded a year of free medications and routine drugs to 86 warriors.

Consistent medication is critical to increasing life expectancy for sickle cell carriers. For the low-income families enrolled in Support a Warrior, a year of free medication was life-changing. 

But education is equally transformative. On distribution day, AiDEMONEY and the foundation co-led a seminar about recent innovations in sickle cell treatment and management, health consciousness, hygiene and overall wellbeing. The families learned techniques for proper sickle cell care—leaving not just with a year of free medication, but invaluable insights into the power of proactively administering it to themselves and their children.

Impact at a Glance: Support a Warrior (Ibadan, Oyo State)

• AiDEMONEY’s Donation: 537,500 Naira (1,412.57 USD), with 867.19 USD for purchasing and transporting medical supplies and the remainder covering administrative costs
• How We Gave Back: Identified and enrolled 50 beneficiaries; prepared, packaged and distributed medications for distribution day; educated families on the importance of proactive administration of medication, recent innovations in sickle cell medicine and treatments, health consciousness, good hygiene and overall wellbeing; helped foundation coordinate medication deliveries to 50 warriors for one full year
• Tangible Progress: 50 warriors received a year of free medication and routine drugs (B-Complex, Vitamin C, Paludrine, Folic Acid, Jobelyn, Multivitamins and Hydroxyurea), plus vital education and access to local health resources
• Sustainable Development Goals: Good Health and Well-Being

Impact at a Glance: Support a Warrior (Lagos State)

• AiDEMONEY’s Donation: 563,200 Naira (1,480.25 USD), with 1324.64 USD for purchasing and transporting medical supplies and the remainder covering administrative costs
• How We Gave Back: Identified and enrolled 36 beneficiaries; prepared, packaged and distributed medications for distribution day; educated families on the importance of proactive administration of medication, recent innovations in sickle cell medicine and treatments, health consciousness, good hygiene and overall wellbeing; helped foundation coordinate medication deliveries to 36 warriors for one full year
• Tangible Progress: 36 warriors received a year of free medication and routine drugs (B-Complex, Vitamin C, Paludrine, Folic Acid, Jobelyn, Multivitamins and Hydroxyurea), plus vital education and access to local health resources
• Sustainable Development Goals: Good Health and Well-Being

Looking Ahead

As AiDEMONEY grows, we’re committed to partnering with nonprofit organizations that make a measurable impact across the African continent. That includes the Shalom Sickle Cell Foundation, an NGO that provides critical support for warriors living with this debilitating disorder. Learn more about the nonprofit partners in the AiDEMONEY family and the impact our community is making with each money transfer.