NAN – No fewer than 428 women have been trained on best reproductive health methods by the Association for Reproductive and Family Health, an NGO, in Zamfara.
The beneficiaries were provided with different family planning methods under the association’s Expanded Social Marketing Project in Nigeria in the state.
Mr Bamidele Oluwaseun, the Zamfara Project Officer, disclosed this on Friday, January 30, 2015 in Gusau in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria.
According to him, the women were trained in December last year.
He said they were mobilised at Maradun local government area of the state during the Zamfara State Ministry of Health and ARFH’s advocacy to the Emir of Maradun.
“The aim is to increase access to child spacing services through high level advocacy, outreach and mobilisation,” said the officer.
He said that some tools given to the women during the outreach included Implanon, Jaddel, Inter Urinary Device, Depo and Oral Pills.
OLuwaseun said, “Others include counselling, insertion, injections as well as provision of barrier methods.
“To make it easy and accessible to women, those that are far from the facility were conveyed with the project’s vehicles.
“The mobilisation was supported by Maradun Emirate Council, women groups, health educators and officials of ESMPN.”
He commended the effort of the state Commissioner for Health, Alhaji Kabiru Janyau, and the Emir of Maradun, Alhaji Yahaya Maradun, for their support toward the successful execution of the programme.
The project officer, however, urged other traditional rulers and religious leaders to help in sensitising people in their communities on child spacing.
He explained that reproductive health would help in reducing maternal and child mortality and morbidity in the state.