EMPOWERING RURAL ADOLESCENT GIRLS AS VILLAGE HEALTH WORKERS IN BORNO STATE, NIGERIA
Child Concerns (GCC) is presently implementing a health project in Borno with the goal of empowering young rural women as Village Health Workers in the state. This is aimed at addressing the poor state of adolescents and maternal health in the Boko Haram affected Borno state of Nigeria. The project is strengthening the agency, and voice of rural adolescent girls by supporting their transition from secondary school to training as village Health Workers and in so doing, addressing the acute shortage of female health workers in Borno communities.
The project which kicked off in December 2017 has integrated proven girls’ education strategies with innovative vocational interventions to build adolescent girls’ career aspirations and will significantly increase the number of rural girls enrolling into the community village health service scheme in Borno state.
OBJECTIVES
The target communities are Gwoza, Konduga and Bama and strategic objectives of the program are to:
- a) provide second chance opportunities for adolescent girls affected by conflict in North East Nigeria;
- b) increase availability, deployment and retention of female health workers to deliver reproductive and maternal health services especially in rural communities of Borno;
- c) Empower adolescent girls and young women through education, mentorship and service.
As at date, 246 VHWs have been trained by GCC and provided both practicum and didactic VHW skills, knowledge and information, while 38 CHEWshave been trained in supportive supervision and are being linked to local health facilities in their communities. The training curriculum was based on the approved National Primary Health Care Development Agency curriculum for Village Health Workers in Nigeria
Under the project, Girl Child Concerns (GCC) will address the poor state of adolescents and maternal health in Boko Haram affected Borno state of Nigeria. The project will strengthen the agency, and voice of rural adolescent girls by supporting their transition from secondary school to training as village Health Workers and in so doing, will address the acute shortage of female health workers in Borno state. It will integrate proven girls’ education strategies with innovative vocational interventions to build 240 adolescent girls’ career aspirations and academic achievement and will significantly increase the number of rural girls enrolling into the community village health service scheme in Borno state. The project will consist of components which will include:
- A vocational training and practicums of 200 adolescent girls as Community village health workers at health facilities;
- Training of existing 40 Community Village Health Extension Workers in supportive supervision of VHWs.
- Provide monthly Safe space mentoring to enhance critical life skills
- Collaborate with Borno State Government to start and institutionalize a Village Health Worker training for Rural Girls in Borno State.
The trained girls will be linked to local health facilities for practical trainings and learning and thereafter integrated in ongoing community health workers scheme. The trainings will constitute core training in family planning, child spacing, ante-natal attendance, child care, immunization and nutrition, especially with a focus on post pregnancy family planning.
OBJECTIVES
The strategic objectives of the program are to:
- a) provide second chance opportunities for adolescent girls affected by conflict in North East Nigeria;
- b) increase availability, deployment and retention of female health workers to deliver reproductive and maternal health services especially in rural communities of Borno;
- c) Empower adolescent girls and young women through education, mentorship and service.
The project will be implemented in Konduga, Gwoza and Bama. It is a 3 year project 2018-2020