A non-governmental organization, Survive Fistula HealthCare Foundation (SFHF), on Tuesday organized a One-Day Media Roundable On Empowering Communities for quality healthcare.
The event is part of SFHF project known as Comprehensive and Inclusive Women’s Health in Nigeria (CIWHIN) funded by CBM, the project is being implemented in Federal Capital Territory(FCT) and Katsina State.
It is a 3 years project aimed at improving the rights and access to Sexual and Reproductive Health of women and Girls including those with disabilities in Nigeria.
The Executive Director, SFHF, Peters Ogunmayin in her opening remark appreciating the media practitioners present and said that the year’s theme of International Day to End Obstetric Fistula was “Investing in Quality Healthcare, Empower Communities.
“With this, we decided to conduct a media roundtable to discuss on the topic “Empowering Communities for Quality Healthcare”
She informed that the CIWHIN project has being carried out in the communities with activities geared towards health system strengthening and livelihood assistance programs asides the Fistula repairs intervention.
“The event is all about presenting the outcomes of their engagement with the 3 Area Councils of FCT where they are working and salient issues to the media so that they will amplify them to the general populace and policy makers.
Mrs Peters said that they are involving men on Sexual and Reproductive Health because without men, the desired result wouldn’t be achieved.
“Men are owners of the homes and if they are not supportive of the women from the home front, women can do nothing, so getting men to support women access to SRHR is a way to go towards achieving desire result”.
She informed that the three core focus of SFHF are 1. Social and Behavioural Change Communications 2. Safe motherhood and comprehensive fistula care.
3. Voice and Capacity of women and girls with disabilities
The participants were taken through the best terms to use while referring to persons with disabilities by Ambassador Beatrice Mube including other interesting topics such as “Use of Media and Community Engagement”, “Citizen and Community Engagement” and Male Involvement as key to maternal health.
The event witnessed dignitaries from disability community, community leaders, health practitioners and media practitioners.
