The Kaduna State Primary Health Care Board (KSPHCB) has sensitised internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Maraban Rido community in Kaduna State on sexual and reproductive health, mental health and personal hygiene.
The board also donated sanitary pads to promote menstrual hygiene, food items to provide relief to displaced families and educational materials to support children’s learning.
The intervention was part of activities marking International Adolescent Health Week, aimed at promoting adolescent health, well-being and access to essential health information.
The programme is supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Society for Family Health (SFH), among other development partners.
Speaking at the event on Friday in Kaduna, Bilkisu Zailani, Adolescent Desk Officer at the board, said the visit was intended to educate adolescents on health issues and support vulnerable families with essential materials to address some of their immediate needs.
Zailani explained that the sanitary pads would help adolescent girls manage their menstrual periods safely, while the educational materials would support children’s learning despite the challenges associated with displacement.
According to her, the intervention reflected the board’s commitment to reaching vulnerable adolescents, particularly those with limited access to health information and essential services.
She said International Adolescent Health Week was a seven-day programme observed across Kaduna State and other parts of the country.
Zailani said the activities included health education, community outreach and services addressing adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health needs.
She said the board visited Dallas Secondary School on Oct. 13 to educate students on personal health and self-care.
She added that the board also visited a special education school to sensitise adolescents on menstrual hygiene, mental health and gender-based violence.
According to her, the engagements revealed that some students had little or no prior exposure to information on menstrual hygiene, mental health and gender-based violence.
The desk officer said the board also conducted community outreach in Igabi Local Government Area, providing family planning and child-spacing services to married adolescents.
She said the outreach included visits to Rogoji, where married adolescents received information and services relating to child spacing.
Zailani said the visit to Maraban Rido was another effort to ensure that vulnerable adolescents were not excluded from health education and essential support.
Mr Auta Ganyi, the Village Head of Maraban Rido, Kudansa, Kujama District, in Chikun Local Government Area, commended the board for extending its services to displaced families.
Ganyi said the intervention demonstrated concern for the welfare of displaced persons and their children, who had lived in the area for between five and seven years.
He explained that when the displaced persons first arrived, they were accommodated at a primary school before some moved in with relatives.
The traditional ruler said he later provided his premises as a meeting point for the displaced families to make it easier for government agencies and non-governmental organisations to reach them.
He said the arrangement had enabled organisations and other well-wishers to locate the displaced persons and provide assistance more conveniently.
Ganyi estimated that about 4,000 displaced persons lived in the area.
International Adolescent Health Week provides a platform to promote adolescent health, amplify young people’s voices and advance equitable access to essential health information and services.
