UNFPA supports Red Cross with reproductive health, dignity kits
NAN-H-5
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By Mohammad Tijjani
Kaduna, June 7, 2017 (NAN) The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) on Wednesday handed over pre-position N201.5 million Reproductive Health (RH) and dignity kits to the Red Cross Society in Kaduna.
The Northern Regional Officer of UNFPA, Mrs Mariama Darboe, presented the intervention packages at the Kaduna Red Cross office.
Darboe said the items were to address the aftermath of insurgency in the North East, especially the states affected by activities of insurgency which include Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.
She listed the sharing quantities of the item as 1,506,170 for Borno; Adamawa 147,528; Yobe 113,014; Bauchi 56,829; Taraba 47,706, and Gombe 28,583.
“As you know, many people have been displaced including health workers and a lot of health facilities were destroyed.
“Despite that, we need to provide services to the affected people and for that reason we packaged these kits to address some of their health needs.
“The insurgency and counter insurgency operations led to insecurity, protection challenges, food insecurity and seriously weakened basic socio-economic services and destruction of the health systems,’’ she said.
She regretted that more than 40 per cent of health facilities were either destroyed or severely damaged.
“Serious maternal health gaps have been found by recent assessment and health sector gap analysis.
“Women and girls are highly vulnerable to rape, sexual exploitation and abuse,’’ she noted.
Earlier, the Leader, Nigerian Red Cross Society, Kaduna branch, Malam Shehu Abdul, said that one of the missions of the association was to address the sufferings of vulnerable people affected by disaster.
He said the association would ensure equal distribution of the items to the last health facility.
“We (Red Cross) and UNFPA will sit down and re-strategise to make sure the distribution is well coordinated,’’ he said. (NAN)
TJ/KSS/OIF/MST
Edited by Ifeyinwa Okonkwo/Muhammad Suleiman Tola