Sickle Forward works to bring timely diagnosis and basic treatment to people affected by Sickle Cell Disease in low-resource environments.
At the center of our philosophy is a simple but powerful idea: screening only saves lives when it leads to care.
Sickle Forward is dedicated to transforming the lives of individuals affected by Sickle Cell Disease in low-resource environments by championing access to timely diagnosis and basic treatment.
We believe that every child, regardless of where they are born, deserves access to early screening and life-saving care.
We aim to contribute to a world where every infant born with sickle cell disease receives the diagnosis and treatment they need, no matter where they live.
A world where sickle cell disease is no longer a death sentence for children in Africa.
What started as a single hospital project has grown into a movement spanning eight countries across Africa, working alongside experienced in-country leaders, health systems, and community-based teams.
Our work began with newborn screening at a single rural hospital, built on the belief that life-saving diagnosis should be available even in communities far from major medical centers.
That early effort has grown into broad regional partnerships across eight countries in Africa, working alongside experienced in-country leaders, health systems, and community-based teams.
By identifying infants and young children early, Sickle Forward helps connect families to critical interventions such as malaria prevention, antibiotic prophylaxis, hydroxyurea, education, and ongoing clinical follow-up.
Sickle cell disease is the most common inherited disorder of the red blood cell, with over 5 million affected individuals across continental Africa.
5M+ People affected across continental AfricaThe disease is caused by an abnormality in the hemoglobin protein that triggers red blood cells to change into a sickle shape when stressed by lack of oxygen, temperature changes, or infection.
Untreated, 50–80% of children with SCD in Africa will not survive to their 5th birthday. The first step in treating the disease is diagnosing the affected newborn.
After diagnosis, there are low-cost and highly effective treatments that can be started in order to save lives.
Our goal is to support practical, scalable systems that bring diagnosis and treatment closer to where children are born and live.
From one hospital to eight countries — the work continues to focus on improving access to diagnosis, treatment and ongoing care.
Every child deserves access to early diagnosis and life-saving treatment. Together, we can help make that a reality.
