By Asmau Ahmad with Agency Report
A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Traffina Foundation Community Health, on Monday said it had distributed over 4,000 delivery kits to women in 2014 to improve their reproductive health. The Founder of the group, Mrs Chinomnso Peters, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
Peters tagged the initiative as “One Kit Saves 2’’ project.
NAN reports that the contents of the kits include: cord clamp, a piece of white cloth, pampers, mentholated spirit, pad for mothers, and Chlohexidine G Gel for prevention of infection in newborn. She said the contents of the kits would assist pregnant women who could not afford the required materials at the point of delivery.
She said that through the efforts, they had been able to save more than 10,000 lives.
Peters said the foundation had the target of delivering over 50,000 clean birth kits by 2016.
She said the distribution of the kits was done across Kebbi, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Imo and Abia, where the foundation was currently working. She said other achievements of the foundation included training of over 40 men in its School of Husbands Programme.
According to her, the training was aimed at enlightening the men on the necessity of their wives’ accessing quality health services even at delivery.
She said the foundation had been able to attain a giant stride in improving the reproductive health of women through such measures.
“In working toward reducing infant, maternal mortality rate in the country, the foundation is strong at promoting family planning in the rural communities through its various programmes.
“Like the School of Husbands; teaching them on their roles to support their wives by throwing away culture and religion at the time of delivery.
“We have also been designing and distributing clean delivery kits to mothers to ease them of their financial burden at delivery because the contents are the first things a mother and child need immediately after delivery,’’ Peters said.
“The Year 2014 was the peak of our clean birth kits; a year we have been able to distribute more than 4,000 kits which we have distributed across Kebbi and FCT.’’
“We have trained at least 40 men in our School of Husbands Programme and our training was centred on building their capacity on reproductive health; empowering them on their knowledge to encourage their wives to deliver with quality health facilities.
“A lot of men out of ignorance are of the view that no man should see their wives’ nakedness even at delivery or any other means of health administration.
“So far, we have been able to disabuse their minds in that regard and enlighten them on the necessity or the health benefits of their wives giving birth at a well- recognized quality hospital, ‘’ she said.
