Kelechi Okoro – Founder/Executive Director, Heal for Africa Initiative

Kelechi Okoro is a multi-talented, multi-award winning and versatile medical doctor with an impeccable track record in civic and entrepreneurial activities. She is a Sustainable Development Goals advocate, with a focus on SDG 3: Good health and well-being and SDG 4: Quality education and SDG 5: Gender equality.

She is the convener of “Pay Attention to Her (PATH) project which focuses on menstrual, sexual and reproductive health for women and girls, especially in underserved communities.

PATH is a project of Heal for Africa initiative, (HFAI) a Non-Governmental Organisation committed to transforming Africa one community at a time. Other projects by HFAI include ‘SDGs Tutor’ to accelerate knowledge about Sustainable Development Goals.

The ‘PATH Rural Woman’ programme focuses on empowering women in rural areas to improve their social, economic and health status thereby eliminating poverty, discrimination, illiteracy, and ill health. Activities captured under this exercise include reproductive health education (family planning and prevention of female cancers, menopause) and skill acquisition training.

There is also the ‘PATH School Girl’ programme which is themed #TheEmpoweredGirlChild, focusing on menstrual hygiene education and enlightening the girl child about her role as a human resource tool in nation-building. Through this program, they are nurturing the girl child to be healthy, self-aware, more confident and more equipped to thrive in a repressive society.

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Then there is “Heal The Slums” The #HealTheSlums project is geared towards impacting the lives of the poor, needy and hard-to-reach population with programmes centred around health education and medical outreaches. People living in the slums are denied basic rights such as good food, healthcare, shelter and portable water which makes life unpleasant for them. This project is dedicated to these groups of people to give them a sense of belonging to society and by so doing, renewing their hope for a better tomorrow.

Through her ‘Healthertainer’ brand, she has recorded massive successes in effective health communications, reaching millions across various social media platforms, thereby increasing health literacy and influencing Nigerians and beyond to make healthier decisions. She has worked with notable international brands such as MTN, TECNO, Three Crowns, Arla Dano, LeadWay Insurance, Dettol, GSK, Roche Diagnostics, Ariel, to mention a few.

She also founded “Health Hub Africa” which houses top health influencers, innovators, start-up founders, and many other outliers in Africa, collaborating and creating in innovative solutions in the health sector.

She is a global goodwill ambassador for health and social development for Nigeria.

Outside the hospital and civic space, she also does public speaking, compering corporate events and volunteering with other non-profit organisations to propagate other worthy causes.