A group of non-governmental organisations has forged a strategic collaboration with Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, to create more demand and sustainable funding initiatives for sexual and reproductive health services.
The NGOS Stand with Girl Initiative and Girl Effect were collaborating with the university under a project tagged: `Campus Unite for Sexual and Reproductive Health’.
The Founder, Stand with the Girl Initiative, an NGO, Ms Margret-Bolaji Adebola told newsmen at a wrap-up fiesta on Tuesday in Zaria that the initiative was aimed at enhancing access to quality care for vulnerable populations.
She said the collaboration used performances from the Department of Theatre Performing Art, ABU Zaria to promote information on sexual and reproductive health for the university’s community and its host communities.
According to Bolajji, the project leverages the power of storytelling, music and drama to cascade the information to the participants with a view to reducing teenage pregnancy and dropping out of school.
According to her, available data indicate significant prevalence of sexual abuses in university’s campuses ranging from sex for marks and individuals indulging in reckless life, hence the campaign in the campus.
She said the five-month campaign, which started in December 2024 would end in April.
Bolajji stated that the strategic engagement of the students involved training on SRH, Social and Behavioral Change Communication and community theatre at communities around the university.
She said, ”As the engagement with ABU wraps up, we are leveraging the experience of the participants at ABU to extend the initiative to Federal University of Education Zaria and other tertiary institutions in Kaduna State.”
Also speaking, the Programme Manager, Girl Effect, Mr Ibrahim Hamza said the programme had created more demands for sexual reproductive health services in the area in the face of dwindling donor support.
He added the collaboration would explore novel ideas of sustainable funding of sexual and reproductive health services internally to close the gap.
In his remarks Dr Emmanuel Gana, Head, Department of Theatre and Performing Art, ABU Zaria, said the collaboration was a fulfilling and exciting engagement which had yielded positive results.
Gana said that the department saw the collaboration as an opportunity to contribute its quota to the development of girl child within the campus and its environs.
He explained the collaboration had been a series of activities for the past four months.
Gana said, “It started with a workshop with the students on the sexual and reproductive health rights, consent and other related matters.”
NAN
