From Melvin Uche, Maiduguri
About 100 women, who survived Vaginal Vesico Fistula have acquired livelihood skills, in Maiduguri, the Borno state Capital.
The survivors were sourced from women who had undergone the free surgical repairs undertaken by the UNFPA at the Maiduguri specialist hospital.
The project funded by the Korean International Co-operation Agency has been on-going in batches since 2018.
UNFPA’s Humanitarian Programme Coordinator Christian Macaulay said the agency is committed to ensuring the needs of women in conflict situations are addressed.
“This is just part of a big package of what UNFPA does in the northeast, in the state of Borno particularly, to ensuring that all the needs of women in the situations of crisis especially in the context of humanitarian and development nexus are fully catered for. We commend RHHF for the high level of professionalism in carrying out the training,” Macaulay said.
Royal Heritage Health Foundation (RHHF) is UNFPA’s implementing partner responsible for the capacity building training for the survivors.
They had trained the women in tailoring, soap making, baking and confectionaries with start-up kits and a minimum of 50,000 for each beneficiary deposited in a savings account for them.
CEO of the RHHF , Mr Olusoji Sogunro, said during the graduation ceremony that took place at the Integrated Women Center, Sandari Ward, that the women had undergone refresher trainings in batches of 15 after the Covid-19 lockdown.
“All this was made possible by KOICA, UNFPA, we are just their implementing partners and we must mention the role of the ministry of women affairs-i see Borno State turning into a state to reckon with in future,” Sogunro said.
The commissioner of women Affairs Zuwaira Gambo who presented the certificate to participants blamed the high number of Fistula cases in displacement which exposes girls to underage marriage and rape among other ills.
She thanked development partners for the outcome of the collaboration which provides maternal support, resilience building and the opportunity for Fistula survivors to be rehabilitated and reintegrated into the society.
