Since 2018Non-Communicable Disease Prevention

Building a healthy society, one smile at a time.

Non-communicable diseases cause most deaths worldwide. We stop them before they stop lives, through preventive care, early screening and treatment.

Donate Now See Our Work

02The Problem

Non-communicable diseases kill more people than anything else, and they rarely announce themselves until it is late.

43M

people died of non-communicable diseases in 2021, three in every four deaths not caused by the pandemic.

World Health Organization, 2024

82%

of NCD deaths before the age of 70 happen in low and middle income countries like Nigeria.

World Health Organization, 2024

03What We Do

So we build.

Every edition of our projects adds a block. A pint for the blood bank. Supplies for a child’s heart procedure. A chemotherapy session covered. A blood pressure check that catches trouble early.

Block by block, the smile takes shape.

01 / 04Our Work

Blood Donation

Donate-A-Pint

Voluntary blood drives that keep the UCH Blood Bank stocked for patients who need blood at short notice.

450+pints donated across 7 drives

Explore Donate-A-Pint

02 / 04Our Work

Children’s Heart Care

The PET Project

Medical consumables for Partial Exchange Transfusions, so children with Tetralogy of Fallot get the procedure at no cost to their families.

250+transfusions’ worth of consumables, across 5 editions

Explore The PET Project

03 / 04Our Work

Breast Cancer Care

The Pink Project

Supplies for chemotherapy and clear information on breast cancer, for women in treatment at University College Hospital.

100chemotherapy sessions’ worth of supplies

Explore The Pink Project

04 / 04Our Work

Community Health

Our Initiatives

Free screening, health education and support for people living with NCDs, run in communities.

270+people screened at free outreaches

See Our Initiatives

05Our Impact

The blocks so far.

450+ pints of blood donated
250+ transfusions’ worth of consumables for children
100+ chemotherapy sessions’ worth of supplies
270+ people screened for free

The people who show up.

A smiling volunteer making a peace sign beside a young woman at Donate-A-Pint

A smiling doctor holding a freshly donated pint of blood and a hero placard

Three smiling donors holding Give Blood signs in front of the SmileBuilders backdrop

A young donor in a pink shirt laughing and making a peace sign

A young man laughing in the donor chair as he gives blood

A woman in a blue top smiling and waving from the donor chair

Four volunteers smiling in front of the SmileBuilders Donate-A-Pint backdrop

Volunteers smiling and posing together at Donate-A-Pint

A young man in a red polo holding a placard reading Every Blood Donor Is a Hero

A donor in a pink bucket hat holding a Give Blood sign

A large group of volunteers and donors in front of the drive backdrop

07From the Journal

What we are learning, in plain words.

Read the Journal

Opinion Pieces10 October 20265 min read

Before the Stroke, When Hypertension Becomes a Roadblock

Hypertension can stay silent for years before a stroke. Nweke Somtochukwu Paula explains the damage it does and why early detection and follow-up matter.

By Nweke Somtochukwu Paula

World Stroke Organization graphic reading Know the Signs of Stroke, Act FAST, with face, arm, speech and time icons

Articles29 October 20253 min read

Demystifying the Myths Around Stroke

Stroke myths are examined for World Stroke Day 2025, from the belief that it only affects older people to the F.A.S.T. warning signs and the risk factors.

By SmileBuilders Initiative

World Mental Health Day graphic with a green ribbon and a head outline filled with flowers, dated October 10

Articles10 October 20252 min read

World Mental Health Day 2025

World Mental Health Day 2025 focuses on access to mental health services in humanitarian emergencies. Mosopeoreoluwa Odufuwa writes on why it matters.