Report of EMBASSY Project 2-Day Sensitization
Report Of The 2-Day Stakeholders’ Sensitization And Consensus Building Meeting And Orientation Of Embassy Team Members Held On 17 And 18 January, 2024 At Grand Serene Hotel, Iyaganku Ibadan Oyo State
The Stakeholders’ Sensitization and Consensus Building Meeting was designed to elicit the support and commitment of government and non-state actors for the implementation of the 2-year project titled “Eliminating Multiple Barriers to Sexual and Reproductive Health Services among Young Girls and Women with Disabilities in Oyo State, Nigeria (EMBASSY) Project” in Oyo State, Nigeria. was held on Wednesday, January 17 and 18, 2024. The project is being funded by AmplifyChange and the implementing partner is PLAN Health Advocacy and Development Foundation (PLAN Foundation).
The meeting drew participants from 41 stakeholders, representing diverse entities such as Government institutions from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Oyo State Hospitals Management Board, Oyo State Primary Healthcare Board, Oyo State Agency for Persons with Disabilities as well as healthcare workers’ training institutions like the Department of Nursing of the University of Ibadan, Oyo State College of Nursing and Midwifery and the Oyo State College of Health Science and Technology all in Ibadan. Other stakeholders like religious and community leaders, representatives of Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria (JONAPWD), Oyo State Chapter as well as community birth attendants and leading media practitioners in the State actively participated in the 2-day meeting.
PLAN Foundation Executive Director delivered the welcome address by explaining the aim of the project which is to eliminate multiple barriers to sexual and reproductive health services for young girls and women with disabilities in Oyo State, Nigeria. He emphasized the significance of the project and advocated against the marginalization of persons with disabilities thereby underscoring the importance of ensuring accessibility and inclusion in the provision of all healthcare services.
Various sessions were conducted by facilitators including Dr. Titilayo Odetola, Head of Department of Nursing, University of Ibadan; Dr. Patricia Ogunmola, a community health practitioner and Nurse and Mr. Siji Ganiyu, a former Provost of the Oyo State College of Health Science and Technology. Presentations on topics as “Mainstreaming Disability into Reproductive Maternal Neonatal and Child Health Service: Gaps and Prospects for a More Inclusive Response,” “Providing Optimum Sexual and Reproductive Health Services: Taking Women with Special Needs into Consideration,” and “Integrating Disability and Inclusion Education into Training of Community Healthcare Workers” were made by the facilitators followed by discussions by all the participants present.
The participants at the meeting made several suggestions which include the following:
- There is a need to discourage discrimination against persons with disabilities in admission processes into institutions for training healthcare workers as against what is being done in some nursing schools.
- While acknowledging the potential benefits of inclusivity in SRH services there is the need for providing accessible maternal and child health services through adequate health budgeting and comprehensive sexual and reproductive healthcare services for all. It was also suggested that there should be increased public awareness to eliminate discrimination and stigmatization against persons with disabilities in the community and healthcare settings, with a focus on breaking down barriers and improving the healthcare-seeking behaviors of women with disabilities.
- Empowering Women through Education by recognizing the importance of educating women with disabilities on how, when, and where to access SRH services to prevent delays and complications leading to maternal or neonatal morbidity and/or mortality.
- Emphasizing the need to train healthcare providers at all levels to be aware of the special needs of women with disabilities, with a focus on improving knowledge, attitude, and practice which will go a long way in reducing stigmatization related to people with disabilities in accessing SRH services and affirming that women with disabilities are entitled to reproductive health services.
Stakeholders at the meeting also recommended the inclusion of the Ministry of Justice, Media, and the National Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) as crucial stakeholders to the project due to the pivotal roles they are expected to play in the implementation of the project.
The high point of the meeting was the presentation of the Memorandum of Understanding to the stakeholders for their perusal and onward signing as well as the ceremonial signing of the commitment banner after which all the stakeholders pledged their commitment to the implementation of the project as EMBASSY Team members, which is the movement advocating for access to sexual and reproductive health services in the state.
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PLAN Health Advocacy and Development Foundation (PLAN Foundation), was the first independent support group for people with HIV (PHIV) in Oyo State in Southwestern Nigeria. It is on record that we had the opportunity to participate actively and notably in most of these processes.
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