NAOMI NDUBUEZE
Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI) with Lagos Advocacy Group (LAWG) are working towards taking Family Planning (FP) campaign to the grassroots in Lagos State for 2017.
In a strategy meeting held in December 2016, Wale Haastrup, communications manager, NUHRI said NUHRI will work closely with LAWG to educate and encourage people in the grassroots in Lagos State to use Family Planning.
“We will use town hall meetings at local governments especially during Community Development Committee (CDC) meetings at local governments to take Family Planning to the grass root in Lagos state. We plan to leverage on the CDCs meetings at local governments where NURHI can attend to talk to the people about FP,” he said.
Haastrup further said NUHRI will be strategic in its approach as # methods used will differ from one local government to another.
“A strategy may work in a local government and not work in another,” he explained. “We just want to use existing frame work or meetings. If it works fine if it doesn’t we will look for alternative ways of doing community engagement,” he explained.
However, Ajiborisa Abiodun, secretary Community Development Committee (CDC) Epe local government and a LAWG member, expressed fear that NURHI may not get large number of people to share FP knowledge with at such meetings.
“If you don’t service these people they don’t attend meetings. They like to be given some monetary gifts to attend. Hardly do you have 25 people attending,” he said.
While responding to Ajiborisa, Dr Edun Omasanjuwa, Lagos state Team Leader, NURHI, said CDC is an existing structure NURHI just want to use.
“We just want to use that platform to talk to the people. We are not calling a meeting on a different issue. We also plan to talk to religious leaders on how to encourage worshippers to use Family Planning methods,” he explained.
