Society for Family Health (SFH) is partnering the Nasarawa State Government (NSSG) to achieve safe delivery methods among child bearing age women in Nasarawa state.
Deputy Team Lead of SFH, Mrs Mopelola Raje made the disclosure while speaking at the 2024 International Women’s Day event in Karu Local Government Area (LGA) of Nasarawa State.
She explained that the partnership was under the Delivering Innovation in Self Care (DISC) project funded by the Children Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF).
The Deputy Team Lead said that DISC project was supporting the Federal Government as well as 15 states including Nasarawa State to empower twomen and bring out their challenges with a view to addressing them.
She said that the project supports women to assume greater control over their sexual and reproductive health by using contraceptive self-care methods like self-inject (Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate- Subcutaneous DMPA-SC), which can help in delaying or preventing pregnancy if a woman so desires.
“Under this project, we empower the woman to be autonomous in the issues of her reproductive right and make informed choices.
“We uses their clinic days to educate them about the various family planning methods and encourage them to engage in trade or business no matter small to support their husbands, and families” she added.
The Deputy Team Lead also said that they have other programmes menstrual hygiene and social protection programmes to support girls of school going age improve on their sexual reproductive life.
She therefore, pledged continued support to the state government to ensure that women get the right information about their health so as to drastically reduce maternal and child mortality rates in the country.
Also speaking at the event, Mrs Salome Aya, Nasarawa State Coordinator of Sexual Reproductive Health, expressed gratitude to SFH and other partners for the work they doing in the state.
She raised concern that the Nasarawa State is among the 10 states with highest mortality rates in the country.
She however explained that the state and government is working hard to change the situation for the better.
She added that the state government had trained healthcare providers in all Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) on family planning and modify life-saving-skills to assist women during delivery to curtail mortality.
The coordinator also called on women to invest in themselves and desist from waiting for their husbands to do everything for the growth of the family.
The theme for the 2024 International Women Day is, ‘Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress’.