Sickle Cell Warrior Presents on the Lifesaving Power of Blood

Eunice Owino is a sickle cell warrior from Nairobi, Kenya.

Eunice Owino, a Voices for PEN-Plus advocate, spoke about her lived experience with sickle cell disease during the East Africa Blood Disorders Leadership Forum, held in Nairobi in late October.

In her presentation, “The Lifesaving Power of Blood,” Owino described challenges in maintaining an adequate blood supply in Kenya. She also encouraged forum participants to learn more about PEN-Plus.

Owino is the founder of the Sickle Cell Uhuru Trust, a Nairobi-based nongovernmental organization focused on sickle cell research and empowerment. She also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Sickle Cell Federation of Kenya.

During the forum, Owino was able to spend time with other members of the NCDI Poverty Network, including Dr. Emily Wroe, the Network’s senior director of programs; Dr. Todd Ruderman, the regional advisor for Kenya, Malawi, and Zimbabwe; and Dr. Catherine Karekezi, executive director of the NCD Alliance Kenya and a PEN-Plus implementer. Owino was joined by two of her fellow Voices for PEN-Plus advocates, both of whom are sickle cell warriors living in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: Arafa Said, founder of the Sickle Cell Disease Patients Community of Tanzania, and Neema Mohamed, chief executive officer of the Bone and Blood Foundation.

During the East Africa Blood Disorders Leadership Forum in Nairobi, Eunice Owino (far right), a Voices for PEN-Plus advocate living in Nairobi, met with, from left, Neema Mohamed, a Voices for PEN-Plus advocate living in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Dr. Emily Wroe, the NCDI Poverty Network’s senior director of programs; and Isaac Okello, executive director of the CTI Foundation in Kampala, Uganda.