We aim to capture the human impact of the work we do- a nurse’s extraordinary dedication, and the pioneering work of FTA Sickle Cell Foundation in running new free sickle cell specialist clinics. In November 2025, up to 70 children living with sickle cell disease in rural Abuja, Nigeria will experience something they have never known before: a consultation with a haematology specialist.

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For these children, many of whom live in severe material deprivation - and have never once been reviewed by a specialist doctor or nurse, this will be life-changing. Behind this milestone is the dedication of a London-based haematology specialist nurse, Funmilayo Ramota Ola-Adenekan (likes to be called Funmi) who has volunteered her time, skills, and heart to travel thousands of miles to Nigeria to treat and care for sickle cell children and young people.

 

Her mission is simple but profound: to listen, to examine, to educate, and to bring clinical expertise where it has been absent for far too long. With the support of the FTA Sickle Cell Foundation, she will run free health checks and review every child with compassion and excellence.

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This pilot initiative represents more than just clinical care. It is a statement of equity, a recognition that children born into material deprivation still deserve the highest standard of healthcare. It is also a celebration of collaboration—where a volunteer’s courage and FTA’s grassroots commitment meet the urgent needs of our vulnerable communities.

 

What will be achieved immediately:

• Children gaining their first specialist haematology reviews by one of the most experienced specialist sickle cell nurses in the UK.

• Develop care plans to support ongoing care locally.

• Families receiving vital education on managing sickle cell from a specialist nurse.

• A foundation piloting what equitable, community-based haematology care can look like.

 

And at the heart of this story is a nurse, Funmi, a Londoner whose hands and heart will leave an imprint of hope on sixty young lives.