The National President of Nigerian Army Officers’ Wives Association (NAOWA), Mrs Salamatu Yahaya on Wednesday, inaugurated a solar powered borehole, overhead water tank and rehabilitated Visco Vaginal Fistula (VVF) centre in Sokoto state.
The centre located at Maryam Abacha Women and Children Hospital, underwent structural facelift, provided with office furniture, empowerment training tools and medical equipment.
Yahaya said that the efforts were part of NAOWA’s vision to support the less privileged persons, women empowerment and uplift living standards of citizens.
Yahaya also donated foodstuffs, detergents and other commodities to the VVF victims and commended the hospital management for the efforts on treatment and other livelihood supports to VVF victims.
According to her, the association is concerned with plights of women suffering from VVF, and in recognition of distinct efforts of Sokoto treatment centre, NAOWA deems it fit to support them as being conducted in other places.
”NAOWA engages on educational support programmes, skills acquisition training, and distribution of clothing and food items among other support to citizens.
”We rehabilitated and provided infrastructure to barracks, office buildings for the association and others.
”Since our assumption of the leadership of the association, we initiated a series of entrepreneurial skills and training for members and the association of soldiers’ wives.
“We also entered into partnership with non-state actors like SMEDAN who opened up grants for our members and many other initiatives,” Yahaya said.
She added that NAOWA was established with the vision of “Sustaining Legacies and Upholding the Tenets of Unity and Service”.
Responding, Sokoto State Commissioner for Women and Children Affairs, Kulu Sifawa, commended NAOWA for the gestures and assured of judicious usage for the VVF patients and others.
Sifawa explained that the facility would provide the much-needed environment conducive for patients and recovered victims for their empowerment and reintegration back to the communities.
NAN reports that the National President also presented medical equipment, drugs and consumables to Sokoto Specialist Hospital where the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Ali Inname, received them on behalf of the hospital.
The president also donated sewing and knitting machines, bicycles and food stuffs to orphanage in Sokoto.
The inauguration and presentations coincided with ongoing Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Annual Conference which started on December 5 in Sokoto.
VVF is an abnormal opening between the bladder and the vagina that results in continuous and unremitting urinary incontinence.
The condition is among the most distressing complications of gynaecologic and obstetric procedures.
Its common causes are obstructed labour, early marriages, poverty, and women’s limited control over the use of family resources.
The condition can cause a lot of discomforts, and if left untreated, it may cause serious bacterial infection.
It may result in sepsis, a dangerous condition that can lead to low blood pressure, organ damage or even death.
