By Cecilia Ogezi (Correspondent, Abuja)
Rotary club of Kubwa Gateway, district 9125, in its stride to support maternal health in the community has collaborated with a non-government organization ( NGO), Love Your Menses to donate mosquito nets and delivery kits to 60 women at the Dutse Alhaji Primary Health Care Centre in Abuja.
The president of the club, Rotarian Chukwudi Onuorah, while giving his remarks, said the visit to the health centre was informed by the first hand information he got at the centre during his service year as a Lab technician.
Onuorah noted that women at the center face a lot of challenges meeting up with delivery kits. He added that the idea of intervention was nurtured by this reason to provide support by bringing intervention through the Rotary club to help play a significant role in assisting them through delivery.
"We have distributed maternity kits, including mosquito-treated nets to curb the scourge of malaria affecting mother and child which accounts for some cases of maternal deaths. This is also part of our maternal health care project in Rotary."
The Chief Operating Officer/Manager of the organisation, Ada Ukatu, while speaking during the distribution of items, noted that their core values in supporting reproductive health informed the collaboration with rotary club to bring intervention to the women, especially with the current harsh economy realities being experienced in Nigeria.
She said: "So far, Love Your Menses has since 2019 been doing several interventions in the area of menstrual and reproductive health and reaching out to thousands of girls in Lagos and Abuja and mostly in rural communities and public schools in distribution of pads. We are currently advocating for menstrual equity which means to help young girls who can't afford pads access menstrual products. We also educate people to break the taboo behind menstruation".
" Today we are here with Rotary club Kubwa Gateway to visit pregnant women doing their antenatal and to distribute delivery kits and mosquito treated nets, baby towels and other delivery materials to support them."
The Officer in charge of the health centre, Dr. Deborah Joshua, while speaking on the intervention, stressed that it was a laudable gesture as it will make them cope with the financial constraints in the present economy.
She pointed out that most of the women do not have mosquito treated nets but through this intervention, they have them now. She added that it will go a long way in preventing incidences of malaria for them and their children.
The lab focal person at the center, Mr Ebuka Cosmos, while speaking during the distribution, said before the distribution day, the rotary approached the center, adding that they received them knowing that many of the women had not purchased their delivery kits due to financial constraints. He stressed that the intervention will reduce the financial burden for the women.
A beneficiary, Mrs Miriam Ishiaka, who spoke on behalf of the women, commended rotary and the NGO for their kind gesture while also blessing them for their efforts. "I and all the women here are happy as this will reduce the financial load to purchase this items in the present economy." NNL.
