JANUARY 2019 “STORIES OF ADVOCACY” ON ADVANCING THE SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH NEEDS OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN GWAGWALADA, FCT, NIGERIA
Youth leaders participants @FGD Paso Gwani community
CWIDI & partners educating women on FP and providing service
CWIDI & partners educating women on FP and providing service
In the month of January CWIDI
continued to promote the sexual health and reproductive health and rights of
young people in Gwagwalada Abuja through support from Women Deliver. Through
WhatsApp and twitter messages CWIDI continued to educate young people on issues
relating to SRHR such as family planning, gender equality, gender base
violence, menstruation and hygiene, condom use, life skills and negotiation
skills. The month under review recorded a major significant achievement gotten
as a result of technology usage, partnership and involvement of the
beneficiaries from project inception, monitoring and evaluation using
participatory approach which led to stakeholder ownership and sustainability. presently
more young people continue to seek interest of joining the WhatsApp platform
thereby raising membership from 268 to 290.
Also, CWIDI was approached by Trine
Angeline Sig, CEO Real Relief for partnership in setting up production
of SafepadTM a unique and innovatively designed product that offers a safe and
infection-free experience to women during menstrual periods in Nigeria. Presently SafepadTM is in the process of
registration with National Agency for Food and Drug Administration of Nigeria (NAFDAC) and we are hoping that the manufacturing
of reusable long lasting menstrual pad will go a long way to keep girls in
schools and help protect them from contacting diseases like urinary tract infection.
The involvement of beneficiaries last month during the development of
evaluation tools goes a long way to ensure ownership and frankly discussion
among participants at the focus group discussion across project sites.
Furthermore, on 5th,
12th and 18th of January 2019, CWIDI organized a focus
group discussion with beneficiaries across 4 communities (Paiko, Pako, Paso
Gwani and Momo Sabo communities) in Gwagwalada FCT Abuja. The main aim of the FGDs was to assess the
knowledge of young people aged 10-30 on Sexual reproductive health and rights such
as HIV prevention, information on modern family planning, life skills,
pregnancy tips, gender equality and gender base violence.
Specific
objectives:
·
Assess knowledge of young people between
the age of 10-30yrs on Sexual reproductive health and right such as HIV
prevention, information on modern family planning, life skills, pregnancy tips,
including gender equality
·
Identify challenges and barriers to
accessing quality Family Planning services.
·
Understand the overall situation of sexual
and gender-based violence in this community and how young people are affected
by it
Methodology
Purposive sampling was
employed to recruit participants for the FGD, A key criteria for involvement
was that the girls, women, boys, men must have been involved in one of the
project activities for instance women that received family planning services,
members of community watch-dogs against GBV, women /girls that received our IEC
materials on SRHR etc . To this end 25 young women, and 20 young men participated
from Paiko, Pako, Paso Gwani and Momo Sabo communities) in Gwagwalada FCT Abuja.
Focus
Group Techniques
The focus group
discussion was guided by a list of questions that sought to explore the
experiences and understanding of males and females on the SRHR issues such as
knowledge of HIV prevention, family planning, life skills, pregnancy tips,
gender equality and gender base violence.
A variety of group
techniques were utilized in the conduct of the FGDs. These included
brainstorming and general group discussion.
The sessions were moderated by CWIDI volunteers and staff who had
extensive knowledge on SRHR Issues. Their roles were: to guide the discussion
utilizing the prescribed guideline; to provide relevant background information
and clarification to related issues or questions; to provide an open and non- judgmental
space for the participant to have free flowing dialogue; to maintain focus on
the activity objectives.
Findings
The
first questions prompted participants to share their view on what they
understand by Family planning and its benefits.
“Family planning is all about child
spacing. It is when a woman puts a drug
or medicine or injection in her body to prevent getting pregnant after un
protected sex. Elizabeth Moses (24yrs old) from Paiko, in Gwagwalada FCT
Abuja
“Family planning
means child spacing which can only be achieved when your wife takes some
pregnancy prevented drugs or injection or wear a condom” (Mr Daniel Adamu (21yrs old) (Pako, Community
“I think Family
planning is all about protecting unplan pregnancy. for example, if I don’t want
my wife to carry belle I use condom or ask her to take some pregnancy prevented
pills” (
Musa Ibhrahim 18yrs Paso Gwani Community )
“Family
planning is very good because with large children you will find it very
difficult to eat, how much more of the children going to school. I want to use my self for example I have 4
girls because I wanted a male child, I got my wife pregnant after one yr of
given birth to our daughter, she delivered twins two girls. Now my children are
6, I am finding it very difficult to feed them. I have to send two to learn
tailoring while my senior brother is helping me to take care of two. This was why immediately I learned about your
outreach in our community, I quickly asked my wife to go and take the family
planning. Thank you so much because you educated us well about it and now my
wife has taken the injection am not afraid of touching her again at night. We
enjoyed our self very well without fear of being pregnant”. Adamu Wuzari (30 yrs old Momo Sabo community
“It prevents women
from dying and help them to prepare very well before having babies. Our economy
is very bad, things are very difficult, school fees in private schools are very
high. If you have plenty children or not given space when they are sick you can
not afford to take them to the hospital. so, family planning is very good”. (Aisha Mohammed 23 yrs old Paso
Gwani Community )
“Your coming to our community helped me
understand what family planning is all about, initially I thought it would be
very harmful if I got contraceptives administered to me, because a lot of women
said it can cause bleeding, cancer and other diseases, but after I got educated
by your people. I summoned courage to
uptake it and it works for me, I have sex often with my husband and am not getting
pregnant, I give it to him any time and any how he wants it. Although, I
noticed that my mensural period that lasts for 5 days extended to 8 days. So, I
went to a near by clinic and the nurse said it was the effect of the
contraceptives I took but it will stop and eventually it stops. But that’s ok. I
did not express any disease or sickness, I am happy having sex with my husband
back and front” (Mary Tadir 24yrs old PAKIO community )
“With Family planning you can leave
a heathy life and build a better future for your children” Hussan Ibrahim 18yrs
old” (Pakio
community
The second question prompted
participants to mention different types of family planning methods, besides
oral contraceptive pills, a woman could use. They all mentioned different types
of methods, some modern methods, traditional methods, and herbal concoctions.
However, male condom was one of the commonly used contraceptives, while IUDs are
the most frequently used modern contraceptives. The facilitator shown them
female condom and said that it is very scares in the market. Only six participants across board mentioned
the following: cervical cap, and Norplant as well as emergency contraception.
They also mentioned numerous traditional methods, including withdrawal, the
calendar, rhythm, body temperature, postpartum amenorrhea, and abstinence
methods. There responses show that they have good knowledge of family planning
methods.
In addition to this, female
participants were asked to demonstrate how to fix menstrual pad and to explain
how to calculate mensural cycle including signs of ovulation. All the participants show accurate knowledge
of mensural cycle as they demonstrated how sanitary pad is been fixed and
stated the following.
“For me I have a calendar where I
marked the first day I started my mensural cycle and the last day it stops. So,
I started counting from the first day of my mensuration and my ovulation takes
place 14 day after my menstruation, I also make sure I take my bath morning and
evening, wash my paints very well to avoid infection.” 15yrs old Amina Suleiman Momo Sabo communities.
Amina go on to narrate how story on how she has used
the knowledge she acquires to keep her peers in school. She tells her story.
“At 15yrs of age, I
have no knowledge of how to properly calculate my mensural cycle and understand
my fertile periods, each time I asked my aunty about it she promised to discuss
it with me but never did. Sometimes I get stain and the male students in my class
laughed at me and I feel very ashamed to go to school or speak in the
classroom. Sometimes when I want to challenge them they abuse me that I get
stain with blood every month and I felt so bad.
I am very sacred to discuss this with my teacher because she bits us a
lot. I have gotten pregnant twice and
did abortion without letting my aunty to know. I noticed that I am not the only
person that experience this but majority of my peers in school get their
clothes stain with blood every month. Even Aisha my friend got pregnant she had
a baby girl and stopped coming to school.
I am not happy about it. I
sincerely wish to see a day where young girls have adequate and correct
knowledge of sexual reproductive health including quality services. One Saturday,
my aunty sent me to the market and on my way, I saw a group of people gathered
with some female midwives and I decided to stop by and behold my life changed.
I listen to all their talk on mensuration and hygiene, life skills, negotiation
skills, how to use condom very well she said.
I collected the leaflet written in my local dialects and even collected
one condom. Although, I was very afraid with the condom because I don’t want my
aunty to see it. CWIDI staff Mrs Bridget collected my mobile number and added
me to a WhatsApp group. Then I feel very
relax to discuss my sexuality with her and she impacted me with a lot of
knowledge. Now I use condom with my boyfriend every time we are having fun, I
ensure I wear it on him every time we want to have sex and he likes it. He
enjoy it when I wear it on him. I took
it upon my self to educate my peers in school on mensuration, life skills,
negotiation skills and condom including other sexual transmitted infections
like HIV/AIDS. Now I know what it means to have a voice that can make things
happen”. Momo Sabo communities
Furthermore, participants
were asked to mention different types of sexually transmitted infections, symptoms
and how they can prevent themselves from not contacting it. All the participants
have accurate knowledge of different sexually transmitted infections including
their symptoms and how they can prevent themselves from not contacting it as
they mentioned the following: Syphilis, HIV/AIDs, Gonorrhea, Genital herpes,
Hepatitis B &C. Correct and consistent use of condom and use of sterilized
objects were mostly mentioned as the common way to prevent one from contacting
these diseases including Hepatitis B vaccine which will help to prevent one
from contacting HB. Also, some of the
symptoms mentioned were night sweat for HIV, itches, virginal Soares for
Syphilis, Gonorrhea and Genital herpes. Also,
participants mentioned going for HIV testing before pregnant and during
pregnant as one thing that will help to prevent mother to child transmission of
HIV, including early placement on Anti retrovirus drugs, and taken it
religiously as one thing that can help prevent mother to child transmission of
HIV/AIDS.
Lastly, participants were asked to discuss the overall
situation of sexual and gender-based violence in their community and how young
people are affected by it? What is the
general situation in the community and common examples of sexual and
gender-based violence that happen in the community.
What
do they think are the major causes of sexual and gender-based violence in their
community? What is the community actually doing now in managing the problem?
“In Pako, before your
coming we expressed a lot of domestic violence including child marriage. The
domestic violence has caused a lot of separation between husband and wife,
leaving the children without proper care.
Also, majority of us out of hardship gives out our female child to
marriage at tender age. Especially
families with many children, with the believe that our children can go to
school in their husband house, but this is never the case. Immediately they got
to their husband house they get pregnant and start rearing children”.
(Mr Tanko Baba 27 yrs youth leader
“Majority of our
children get married off at the age of 12 especially when the parents noticed
that the girl has plenty boy fiends and sleep around with them so the fear of
not getting pregnant and bring shame to my family makes me to marry her off
early. But since I learnt that if I
exposed my child to quality and accurate sexual reproductive health information
my child will understand herself, and this will go a long way to help her not
to get pregnant, I will allow her finished her school and allow her to make a
better choice”. ( Mr Moses Harua Momo
Sabo community member Community WATCH DOG”
.
“In my community Paso Gwani the commonest
forms of gender-based violence are harmful cultural practices, domestic
violence, child marriage and sexual violence such as raped and child molest,
which prevent women from enjoying their full potentials. However, the
intervention of CWIDI and her partners towards the abolishment of not allowing
women to move out during the Adawiya festival makes a significant change in the
life of women. Next month Adawiya festival will be celebrated, and women will
move freely without fear of any attack. Also, the establishment of watch-dog committee
has helped to check-mate and reduce the ugly incidents that happen in our
village. Right now, a lot of men are afraid of batting their wives or given
their female child away in marriage at tender age. These men go forward to
mitigate between husband and wife and settled their discords. Musa Dika 30 yrs old”
The focus group
discussion was a good step in the right direction as we were able to use this
avenue to know how the women that administered FP during our outreaches are
doing and encourage them to be FP champions speaks to other women to get FP
administer on them. One of the major challenges noticed during our WhatsApp
chat on FP is wrong impression and messages on contraceptives side effects to
patients by the nurses especially those with limited knowledge on FP. Below is a snap shot discussion on FP.
“I went to FP unit in
a nearby clinic to get contraceptives administered. The nurse started telling
me on the side effects such as bleeding after sexual intercourse, cervical
cancer, menstrual period three twice a month etc. In fact, the one that sacred
me most was cervical cancer and cancer of the ovaries these discouraged me from
getting FP contraceptives administered to me.
Before my spouse spoke to a staff of CWIDI who visited the community and
gave me correct information on FP, not only does she give me information, she
also connected me with women who are presently on different methods of
contraceptives, I contacted them and after speaking with them I got conceived
and right now I am on IUD and I enjoy it.
Mrs Akintola 27yrs old )
Finally,
In Paiko, Pako, Paso Gwani and Momo Sabo communities committee Watch Dogs
against Gender base violence has continued to hold their monthly meeting and
inviting CWIDI staff to speak to them on important of Family planning and encourage
them to support their wives for uptake. CWIDI volunteers through interpersonnel
communication using IEC materials on SRHR reached a total number of 40 persons
(25 women, 15 men ) with on HIV/AIDS, ST1s,
Gender based violence, correct and consistent use of condom, negotiation
skills, FP information at Football View centers, Clubs, and Hotels
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