New Telegraph

UNFPA to empower women, adolescent girls in Gombe, A’Ibom

 

 

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has entered into an agreement with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to implement a three-year project in Nigeria valued at NOK 24,000,000.

 

The project titled: ‘Integrated approach to empowering adolescent girls and women in Gombe and Akwa Ibom states through access to Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights,’ is aimed at improving access to sexual and reproductive health and rights services for women and adolescents girls in the states.

 

According to the UNFPA, other objectives of the project are to increase access to sexual reproductive health information and life skills for adolescent girls in selected local governments in Gombe State and strengthen operational capacities of national partners and communitybased organisations to address social norms in order to improve access to SRH services and prevention of child marriage.

 

It noted that the expected beneficiaries are 100,000 women of reproductive age (aged 15-49 years) to access SRH information and services including contraceptives and family planning; 900 health workers strengthened to deliver SRH services.

 

Others include 9,000 adolescent girls (4,500 aged 10-14 years and 4,500 aged 15-19 years) at risk of school dropout and child marriage; 250  female teachers strengthened to be safe spaces mentors; 2,700 health workers benefit from information and knowledge sharing on SRH by their peers; and 1,200 teachers (both male and female) benefit from information from their peers.

 

UNFPA said the event, which witness the distribution of solar radio sets to 9000 adolescent girls in Gombe State, is aimed at ensuring continuous learning and education of adolescent girls enrolled in Safe Spaces programme during the COVID- 19 pandemic.

 

UNFPA said: “COVID-19, has affected the education as well as learning activities delivered through school-based safe spaces to the adolescent girls enrolled in the project. “UNFPA’s strategy to engage adolescent girls virtually via radio broadcasted learning sessions is designed to build their literacy and numeracy skills as well as critical life skills including reproductive health and family life education.

 

“Studies have shown that adolescent girls who receive an education are less likely to marry young and more likely to lead healthy, productive lives. They earn higher incomes, participate in decisions that affect them, and build better futures for themselves and their families.

 

“Nurses/Midwives were trained to provide quality long acting reversible contraceptive services including DMPA-SC/Self injection.”

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