Health
THE different intervention programmes of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) have positively impacted the lives of many Adamawa residents this year.
The Fund’s Programme Officer in the state, Dr Danladi Idrisa, said this in an exclusive interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yola on Sunday.
He listed the intervention programmes to include the provision of Safe Space for women and girls, skill acquisition centre, as well as capacity building training for health workers.
He said that the world body impacted the lives of over 10,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and host communities through activities at the women and girls Safe Space, empowering them in skills acquisition and providing psychosocial support to improve their wellbeing, among others.
He added that “within this year, we touched the lives of over 10,000 women and girls through various activities. We have safe spaces in Michika, Girei, Mubi, Yola-South, Numan and Fufore.
“This year again, we responded to the emergency needs of people after communal clashes in Lamurde and part of Guyuk local government areas.
“We responded to the needs of over 1,800 women in the two local government areas; led the joint assessment of Gender Based Violence safety audit and distributed dignity kits to women.”
The programme officer said that the UNFPA also established a One-Stop Centre, an integrated and multi-disciplinary GBV service centre at the Yola Women Development Centre.
Idrisa added that the Fund worked with the Ministry of Women Affairs, justice, health, Federation of Women Lawyers Association (FIDA) and the police to set up the centre.
He said “the centre has shelter for accommodation, a children’s centre, virtual company referral with toll-free line, which is first of its kind in the state, and also has various elements of GBV case management.
“When a survivor visits the centre, she can be supported in terms of psychosocial provision and be empowered with vocational skills for income generation, among many other things.”
He said that the Fund had also trained 100 men as agents of change on GBV under a behaviour change programme, adding that “we were able to select 100 men from four communities simultaneously. We also have equal number of females who interact with the women weekly.
“The programme is to make men to become change agents, and it works. Such a programme has brought about behavioural change concerning GBV.”
According to him, the UNFPA also works toward improving the state’s criminal justice system.
He said that the DNA Forensic Laboratory in the state, the first of its kind in the country, had been providing evidence that would help in prosecution of rape and other GBV cases.
The programme officer further said that UNFPA supported over 423 Primary Healthcare facilities in the state through Implementing Partners in family planning, which helps to prevent maternal mortality.
He explained that the Fund had also conducted capacity building for health workers in clinical service competency and for social workers on GBV, among others.
“We have also trained over 40 people on how to respond to GBV issues in emergencies; we trained 15 persons to deal with male and boys survivors of GBV,” he added. (NAN)
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Tags: Dr Danladi Idrisa UNFPA
