On the eve of the London Summit on Family
Planning, Tonte Ibraye, National Coordinator, White Ribbon Alliance, Nigeria,
talks about his expectations.
1. Tell me
about the family planning situation in Nigeria
Our Federal Ministry of Health is committed to
ensuring that all women in Nigeria have access to family planning services, and
where possible they can access them for free. However the unmet need for
contraception is still very high as there are a number of barriers for the
women who need them to receive the services.
In Nigeria we have a problem with women getting the
family planning commodities they want, as the Government at the State level has
not budgeted for, or simply doesn't have enough money for distribution to
health centres and communities. The White Ribbon Alliance Nigeria is advocating
for a specific line on distribution of family planning commodities to be
included in state budgets to address this bottleneck.
We also have a lot of cultural and religious
barriers that effect this, in some cases family planning can be seen as a
''western'' intervention and not in line with their way of life. The White
Ribbon Alliance in Nigeria recognises this as a major problem and has been
working to raise awareness on the importance of this issue in communities and
working with traditional and religious leaders to encourage their support and
leadership.
The Government of Nigeria must provide a specific
budget for family planning services and distribution across Nigeria. They must
also work with civil society to sensitise communities about the benefits of
family planning and to ensure it gets to the women who are most in need. Family
planning is one of the most cost effective interventions for reducing maternal
mortality.
The Government must provide a specific budget and
work with civil society to sensitise people to ensure that services reach the
people who need them. Family planning is a cost effective way of reducing
maternal mortality rate (MMR).
2. What
are your hopes for the Summit?
I have great hopes for the summit, it is a great
opportunity for Governments to look at what progress they have made on this
issue so far, share some of the challenges they have been facing and learn from
others on successful approaches. It is also a great platform for Governments to
make fresh commitments, which are clearly and urgently needed.
However, it is not just about new commitments, the
delivery and implementation of plans after the summit is just as (if not more)
important. We are asking our Government make their commitment alongside an
implementation timeline and we will be sharing these details with communities
across Nigeria so they are mobilised, aware and able to hold them to account. I
also believe that the summit should make an effort to focus on engaging
religious and traditional leaders; if they are included in country delegations
they can be aware of the commitments and help to overcome barriers in
implementation back in Nigeria.
3. Why
is a global gathering important?
A global gathering like this is important because,
when governments see the progress that other countries are making they are
energised and inspired to do more. There is an African proverb that says
that strong wrestlers must travel to other villages, to check out their
competition and get stronger! A gathering like this can work in similar way, a
kind of indirect checks and balances. In addition, a global gathering of this
kind also gives the government the opportunity to speak to donors and ask for
specific support in things which have been proven to reduce maternal mortality.
This is critical to address as we approach the timeline for the millennium
development goals.
Tonte Ibraye is the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe
Motherhood Nigeria National Coordinator. WRA Nigeria has grown with over 700
active individual and organizational members spanning across 29 states and the
Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria, and is presently a member of the Core
Technical Committee of the Federal Ministry of Health. In August 2011, Tonte
mobilized hundreds of WRAN members to carry out a march in Port Harcourt,
calling on the Nigeria Governors Forum to invest in health workers.
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