Health
GBV: Foundation builds capacity of community members to check menace
The Tabitha Cumi Foundation (TCF), a non-governmental organisation, has built the capacity of no fewer than 35 members of various communities in Abuja and Nasarawa State to address Gender-Based Violence (GBV).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the capacity building is part of the Flagship Actions on Girls’ Safety (FLAGS), a GBV prevention and response project.
The Executive Director, TCF, Mrs Tayo Erinle, on Thursday said that the foundation works basically to support survivors.
Erinle, who was represented by the Programme Manager, Mrs Nendirmwa Ohah, explained that the programme which is in the last phase, started in 2021.
According to her, the capacity building is to ensure sustainability of the programme at the community level.
“We were able to select members of the Community Action Committee (CAC) from various communities. We were able to build their capacity during the sensitisation and implementation of the programme.
“The capacity we are building today is a kind of refresher course to remind them of their roles as members of CAC, in addressing and checking GBV in their communities.
“We got massive support from them because they were able to follow up incidences of GBV in their communities. They have created impact in addressing the issue of GBV in the communities..
“Their capacity and knowledge have been built and it is something important. Without knowledge, you will not be able to support anyone. So the knowledge and capacity is a lasting solution to GBV prevention.
“We expect the members of CAC to serve as watchdogs in the communities that we are working in, so that every incidence of GBV is reported to us or other service providers.
“This is because we have linked them up to NAPTIP, Police and Federation of Female Lawyers (FIDA), where they can get free legal services and justice and other relevant agencies,” Erinle said.
Erinle said that the CAC members could now support victims and survivors of GBV, adding that the foundation will continue to assist them and campaign against the menace.
Meanwhile, one of the CAC members from Mpape Community in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mrs Aisha Saidu, appreciated the foundation for the initiative.
“I am happy because I have gained more knowledge through this programme, especially today’s capacity building; I was able to learn a lot of things that hitherto, I did not know.
“In my community, we have the issue of early marriage. I will like the government to please come to our rescue. Also, organisations should sensitise religious leaders in our community to enable them speak against GBV,” Saidu said.
Another member of CAC from Nyanya Community in FCT, Mr Danladi Iya, said the programme had helped a lot of youths in his community not to engage in GBV and other social vices.
“From what I have learnt today, I will go back to my community and inculcate it on members of my community so that the impact, with support of TCF, will reverberate throughout the entire community.”
NAN reports that during the capacity building, the CAC members were treated to topics like, ‘Roles of CAC Members in Fight Against GBV’, ‘Understanding GBV and How it Affects Girls and Women’.
Other topics are: ‘Ways to Provide Support and Resources for Survivors of GBV and GBV Referral Pathways and Dissemination of TCF toll-free line among others.
NAN
Health
Stakeholders Applaud A360 Impact On Adolescent Health
Stakeholders in Nigeria’s health and development sector say the institutionalisation and scale-up of the Adolescent 360 (A360) Amplify project have greatly improved adolescent sexual and reproductive health outcomes in participating states.
They made this known at a dissemination meeting on the project on Thursday in Abuja.
It was implemented by the Society for Family Health (SFH) and partners, and later adopted into government systems following documented successes.
Launched in 2020, the A360 project was designed to provide adolescent girls with access to sexual and reproductive health information, youth-friendly services and economic empowerment opportunities.
The programme was implemented in Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna and Nasarawa States using a human-centred design approach that engaged governments, communities and young people to improve uptake of family planning and maternal health services.
Dr Aisha Sadiq, Permanent Secretary, Kaduna State Ministry of Health, said institutionalising A360 had delivered measurable improvements in adolescent health indicators and community wellbeing.
She said Kaduna currently provides A360 youth-friendly services in 623 Primary Health Care (PHC) centres.
The Matasan Mata Arewa (MMA) initiative, she added, had reached 75 communities and empowered more than 15,000 girls with entrepreneurship skills and seed capital.
According to her, more than 60,000 girls have accessed contraceptives through the programme, with a reduction in discontinuation rates as more young women sustain use and transition to maternal and child health services.
“These changes have shown a marked reduction in maternal mortality among those communities. It has also reduced negative neonatal outcomes,” she said.
Sadiq recounted an elderly woman’s remarks from a programme community, calling them a strong reflection of the project’s success.
“These girls have spent their whole lives believing they will remain tolerable liabilities to the husbands they marry, but now they are realising the value of becoming appreciated assets,” she quoted.
Sadiq added that Kaduna’s 16 per cent health budget allocation and the integration of A360 activities into the state’s 2025 Annual Operational Plan demonstrated sustained political commitment.
Also speaking, Dr Omokhudu Idogho, Managing Director, SFH, said the four implementing states had successfully embedded A360 approaches into government systems, community structures and routine health practices.
He was represented by Dr Kenechukwu Erichalo, Deputy Managing Director, Project Delivery.
Idogho said the project had reached more than one million adolescent girls with family planning services and engaged over 500,000 others with comprehensive sexuality education messaging.
“We recorded more than 50,000 antenatal care visits, ensuring that girls received skilled care that saved lives, and supported over half a million girls to learn income-generating skills,” he said.
He said A360 pioneered the MMA and Niger Girls models, demonstrating that culturally sensitive, human-centred programmes can succeed even in conservative communities.
“Our most significant achievement is institutionalisation. Today, all 1,750 A360-supported facilities are fully government-led,” he added.
Mrs Roselyn Odeh, A360 Project Lead, said the initiative was developed in response to poor adolescent health indices in the country.
She said the programme ensured respectful, youth-friendly services at PHCs and supported school reintegration and entrepreneurship for girls.
She said the decision to scale the programme in northern states was based on data.
“When you look at maternal mortality among young people, you know the section of the country it is coming from. Data drove our decisions in alignment with government priorities,” she said.
Odeh identified challenges including weak PHC infrastructure, funding gaps, commodity shortages and the need to engage husbands in conservative communities.
“But creatively, we worked with governments to mobilise domestic funding through health revolving funds and the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund,” she said.
Mr Sagir Musa, Commissioner for Youth, Jigawa State, assured of continued commitment from implementing states to sustain and expand the project’s gains.
“This project may be nearing closure, but for us, it has just begun. We have gone beyond its life cycle to embed its approaches in the things we do,” he said.
The dissemination meeting brought together policymakers, community leaders, development partners and beneficiaries to review lessons learned and outline future priorities for scaling adolescent health interventions nationwide.
(NAN)
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