Family planning: NURHI to sensitize over 1million women in Oyo state – Akinso

By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan.
Team leader of the Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI) Mrs Stella Akinso has hinted that the body is to sensitise over 1 million women in Oyo State on the need to embrace available family planning methods.
Mrs Akinso stated this in Moniya, Akinyele Local Government Area of the state during the flag off of the phase 2 of NUHRI family planning visibility parade and campaign  billed to cover 15 local government areas in the state
She declared that the idea of family planning was not to discourage child bearing but to sensitize them about family planning methods so as to be free of unforeseen challenges, saying, “the idea is to ensure that women are free from all unnecessary stress during child bearing and provided the necessary support on the type of the method that best cater for their needs”.
“We are not saying they should not have children, but they should space their birth and they should rest and also be able to have time for their children, themselves and their families. As we are going round now, we are providing free services, the providers are there and they are providing free services for them” she said.
The team leader stressed that NUHRI sensitization team have already covered five local government areas in Ibadan city and now extending the scope to additional ten, saying “now we are covering fifteen local government areas”.
Commenting on the involvement of other stakeholders to key into the campaign, Mrs Akinso declared that NUHRI “is working with the federal ministry of health and state ministries of health, traditional rulers religious leaders, community leaders, market women and men, youths and other stakeholders” to achieve its goals which was to ensure free child spacing method among the people.
“We are encouraging them to plan their family so that they can have rest. We are also engaging the media, all we are saying is to ensure we sensitize our people on family planning and child spacing”.
Mrs Akinso disclosed that apart from the services NUHRI is rendering in family planning methods, it is also providing materials in the renovation of hospitals and health facilities.
The chairman, League of Alfas and Imams in Akinyele local government area, Alhaji Abdulraseed Kareem while receiving the NURHI team during a visit to his house pledged his support for the team towards the success of the sensitization project .
The road show which kicked off at Moniya, took the NURHI team through, Ikereku, Ajibode, Saasa, Ojoo, Orogun and Olorisaoko and other communities in the local council.