Nigerian youths embrace family planning – NGO

Nigerian youths embrace family planning – NGO
By Yashim Katurak
Contraceptive
Abuja, Sept. 14, 2018 (NAN) Mr Offiom Offiom, the Country Director, Marie Stopes International Organisation Nigeria (MSION), says 19 per cent of Nigerian youths under 25 years accessed one modern Family Planning (FP) method or the other in 2017.
Offiom told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday that five per cent of this youth were between 15 and 19 years.
He said that the services were provided by the organisation with support from its donor partners DFID, USAID, UNFPA, Chanel Foundation, FP 2020 and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Offiom said that with donor support, the organisation also provided quality contraceptive services in 2017 to 16 per cent of individuals living in extreme poverty in parts of the country, vulnerable women, girls and adolescents.
He said that hundreds of first time users also accessed the services the same year.
Offiom said that 70 per cent of the contraception services received by these individuals were long acting and reversible methods.
He said: “MSION delivers services in 34 of the 36 states of the federation including the FCT and of the over 182 million people in Nigeria, around 48 per cent are under 18 years of age.
“Only 24 per cent of women in the country of reproductive age use a modern contraceptive method and 24 per cent will like to use one form of this method but are unable to access them.
“Our efforts and results show the huge demand that exists and the impact that can be achieved with the right approach and resources.
“We at MSION will continue to work with the Federal Government and other partners to achieve the goal of increasing access to family planning services in the country.”
Offiom said that in 2017, the organisation provided 1,356,000 women in the country with high quality contraceptive services, noting that this is the highest number it had ever reached in Nigeria.
He said that the services it provided helped to avert child and maternal deaths, 10,000 unsafe abortion, unintended pregnancies and saved the nation about 12 million pounds.
The country director said that the organisation was committed to supporting the Federal Government achieve the target of increasing contraceptive prevalence rate to 27 per cent by 2020.
NAN recalls that the federal government had in March 2018 pledged to achieve Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) of 27 per cent among women by 2020 with collaboration from stakeholders and partners.
Marie Stopes International (MSI) is a global organisation providing personal contraception and reproductive health services to women and girls.
MSION, an affiliate of MSI, was established in Nigeria in 2009 to increase access to affordable and high-quality modern contraceptives and confidential reproductive health services for both married and single.
The organisation is currently in 34 states of the federation and some of its services include counselling and support on FP, child spacing, contraception, pregnancy planning and painful periods.
Other services provided by MSION include diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections and cervical cancer screening. (NAN)
KRY/AMM/MST
Edited by Abiemwense Moru/Muhammad Suleiman Tola