Church, health body break barriers in reproductive health
The church which has been an implementing partner of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America–International (PPFA-I), since 2002, a year after the international Non Governmental Organization (NGO) established its roots in Nigeria, is working on the project, “Reproductive Health” at the NKST Hospital Mkar, Gboko, Benue State, but providing services to 150 health centres spread […]
The church which has been an implementing partner of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America–International (PPFA-I), since 2002, a year after the international Non Governmental Organization (NGO) established its roots in Nigeria, is working on the project, “Reproductive Health” at the NKST Hospital Mkar, Gboko, Benue State, but providing services to 150 health centres spread out in five states of Benue, Taraba, Cross River, Nasarawa and Plateau.
Eremutha Francis, Country Team Leader (CTL) of PPFA-I, who addressed participants at the Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 start-up meeting of the implementing partners, in Abuja, recently said PPFA will pull out after the current grant year, but hoped that the partners, including NKST, would have been better strengthened to continue without the international donor agency.
The CTL who was supported by the Program Officer, Thank-God Okosun, gave the main objective of the current grant year as “to support partners to continue in the increase of access and utilization of integrated sexual and reproductive health and services.”
As part of efforts to realize this objective, PPFA has outlined various activities including mentoring of partner staff in fiscal and organizational management, train partner staff and service providers on technical issues, procure family planning commodities for partners, and work with partner staff to design innovative educational campaign and service delivery models like setting up youth centres.
Coordinator of the NKST Reproductive Health Project, Mrs Sarah Ingbian said the church had been providing reproductive health service in all of NKST health facilities, having been trained in 1987 by the Family Planning International Assistance which introduced the church to PPFA.
“We have expanded our horizon over the years, and when in 2002, PPFA came in to support our programme, we can say that so much has been achieved. The partnership has improved our acceptance as a church promoting family planning”, the Project Coordinator told Sunday Sermon.
She said the project faced serious challenges at the initial time, but expressed delight that all barriers have been broken through the partnership.”
You know this is a very sensitive issue more so that it deals with issues of sexuality which the church tries to avoid. It was difficult to go into the church and begin to talk family planning, but with the support from PPFA, we have our churches as venues for health education on family planning, on safe abortion, post abortion care and even on youth programmes related to sexual and reproductive health services.
“PPFA has assisted us to establish two youth friendly centres where youths meet to socialize through indoor games. At the centres, we do skills development for them, just as we provide reproductive health information for them and improve on their self-confidence in decision making, role setting, values, self-esteem, and all such counselling that will build them into responsible citizens,” she added.