NGO Offers Reproductive Health Support To Women In IDPs Camp

A public health intervention, Project HealthAID has delivered critical menstrual, sexual and reproductive health support to women living in the Yimitu Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Camp in Waru Community, Abuja.

The initiative was implemented by Dr Praise Akobo with support from Global Changemakers, using the AID Model (Awareness, Intervention and Detection) to address key menstrual and reproductive health challenges among displaced women and girls.

During the outreach, the participants received menstrual and reproductive health education delivered in Hausa and Pidgin, ensuring the information was accessible in languages widely spoken within the community.

The programme also featured three breakout sessions, creating safe spaces for women to discuss personal health concerns, sexual and reproductive health challenges (SRH), Sexual Exploitation, Abuse & Harassment (SEAH) and receive tailored counseling and referrals.

The outreach included a USSD-low end technology based education and menstrual-tracking tool designed to work without internet access and on basic mobile phones, expanding access to menstrual health information for women in low-connectivity settings.

A major highlight of the project was the training of 50 women to produce reusable sanitary pads, providing participants with a sustainable menstrual health solution and a potential income-generating skill, of which they made theirs after learning on the spot.

Through a train-the-trainer model, the women transferred the knowledge and skills to their daughters and other girls, 50 of them within the IDPs camp seen upon follow-up.

One of the beneficiaries,  Hassana Yahaya who was trained  was full of praises for the organisation, “Thank you all for coming to teach us how to make reusable pads, we did not know how this thing was done before, but you came and we learnt it correctly. Thank you all very much. God bless you.”

Also, the woman leader in the Yimitu Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Camp, Halita Joseph also appreciated the team for coming to support them in improving their women’s menstrual health especially because of the prevailing challenges of infections they have been facing.

To ensure accountability and measure the impact of the sessions, Akobo ensured implementation of a structured pre- and post-assessment framework to track participants’ knowledge before and after the programme.

The outreach concluded with the distribution of hygiene kits and reusable sanitary pads, supporting safer and more dignified menstrual management for women in the camp.

The IDPs Camp secretary, Yahaya Philemon Tada, expressed gratitude to the initiative for its support.

In her remarks, Akobo expressed appreciation to Global Changemakers and partners like YieldUp Development Initiative, Jidem Foundation, HerPride App for supporting the initiative and enabling the project to reach vulnerable women and girls in the Abuja IDPs community.