GREENER

In Nigeria, sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs of young people / youth are often underserved and underestimated despite their demonstrated need and the urgency of these services. Continental population remain high at approximately 1.2 billion with the highest number being youth aged 15–24 years, 226 million (19%) of the global youth population of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa. The term young people which according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) defines 'Adolescents' as individuals in the 10-19 years age group and youth (15–24 years) are interchangeably used but often meaning the youth, adolescents, and young people. Youth is characterized as a period of optimum health with a series of physiological, psychological, and social changes that may expose them to unhealthy explorative sexual behaviour such as early sex engagement, unsafe sex and numerous sexual partners and represent 25% of the world population.

SRHR comprises a major component of the global burden of sexual ill-health. Nearly a quarter of girls aged 15–19 years are married with an estimated 16 million adolescents giving birth each year globally, 95% of whom are from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

In South East Nigeria, young women and girls face many significant SRHR challenges such as limited access to Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights including information on growth, unsafe abortion, gender-based violence, gender inequalities, limiting socio- cultural norms, stigma and societal taboos, economic disparities and family planning (FP). This occurs in different forms such as the denial of access to SRH services, poor quality service, subjection to early marriage and also Female Genital Mutilation without consent from the women and girls. Also, the pervasive stigma and judgmental services of  community members and local healthcare providers make young women and girls unable to demand or discuss SRHR care and services but rather prefer any means suggested by close confidants, and while these local healthcare providers in these clinics are essentially untrained in providing care and non-judgmental services in SRHR. These have led youth especially young women and girls into risky sexual behaviour resulting in high STI and HIV, early pregnancy, and vulnerability to delivery complications resulting in high rates of death and disability. Studies conducted by GREENER in South East Nigeria indicated that only 10% of young men and 15% of young women are aware of their HIV status which leaves a big challenge to achieving good reproductive health and wellbeing for all. Young girls less than 19 years who get pregnant have a 50% increased risk of stillbirths and neonatal deaths, as well as an increased risk for preterm birth, low birth weight, and asphyxia which in turn affect the health of the unborn child and perpetuate the cycle of poverty.

Despite the global agreements on young people’s sexual and reproductive health and rights, access to and utilization of these services among the youth/adolescents remain unsatisfactory in Nigeria which is a significant barrier to progress in this area. This project will sensitize young people especially young women and girls on their rights to exercise Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights, bodily autonomy and bodily integrity. This project is taking place in three communities in Abia State, South East Nigeria. There will be community sensitization, outreaches and involvement in communities, schools and health facilities. These young people especially young women and girls will be sensitized on their rights to SRHR, bodily autonomy, bodily integrity, health, life, privacy, education, freedom from torture, and the prohibition of discrimination. They will be enlightened on how and where to seek for help on SRHR. These community sensitization and trainings will involve taking these young people especially young women and girls through a comprehensive values clarification and attitude transformation process to enable them understand and reflect on personal moral dilemmas and allow for values to be analyzed and clarified, and to develop the basis for their own personal possible negative attitudes, negative stereotypes, unconscious or conscious biases, and stigma to be positively transformed. These community sensitization and outreaches will extend to schools (high schools and colleges). GREENER has been organizing SKITs on SRHR to sensitize people and it has been effective in Ugwunagbo Community in Abia State. Young people especially young women and girls are participating in these SKIT making, but not only participation but are acknowledged on their rights to SRHR exercise them and have their own agency. Through these SKITs, they have been reduction in unintended pregnancies, sexual transmitted diseases and most importantly maternal mortality in this community. This project will extend these SKITs making on SRHR to the other three communities so that there will be wider range of coverage. Studies conducted by GREENER indicated that a lot of these young people are interested in Skits and we have been able to reach out to a lot of people especially young women and girls on SRHR through these SKITs. These young people do not only watch these skits but are in the making and production of these SKITs on SRHR. Lastly, we the project team will also strengthen the capacity of healthcare providers in health facilities in these three communities in Abia state. We will sensitize and equip them with the positive and progressive attitude and convictions needed to champion the task of working towards breaking down structural and social barriers against SRHR, and to champion the task of advancing the sexual reproductive health and rights of young people especially women and girls. Through these trainings, the stigma and taboos on SRHR in these communities will be interrogated and busted and these young people will be equipped with the skills to interrogate and bust all forms of taboos and SRHR stigma prevalent in the communities.

The participants (beneficiaries) of this project are young people especially young women and girls in Okoko Item, Isikwuato, Ohafia communities of Abia State, Nigeria. This project has the target to reach out to 5000 young people within the age group 11-35 years (1500 boys and men and 3500 young women and girls). These young people do not have access to information and care of SRHR. Even the ones that are aware are stigmatized by the systematic and structural barriers in these communities of Abia State. The remote location of these communities in Abia State, lack of access to information and means of accessing SRHR care services, lack of access to equipped healthcare facilities, deep cultural roots of stigma and taboos on SRHR create a situation where many young women/girls in these three communities resort to any available and unsafe means to discontinue unintended pregnancy just to ensure economic survival, and to avoid the restrictions of carrying unintended pregnancies to term and child support with limited resources which will limit their opportunities and ability to achieve future personal aspirations, or to avoid unintended burdens of supporting a child unprepared.  The high incidence of unsafe abortion is a major contributory factor to the differentially high rate of maternal morbidity/mortality in these communities in Abia State. A lot of young women and girls in these rural communities of Abia State are in forced and early marriage because they are not aware or sensitized on their rights to SRHR, bodily autonomy or bodily integrity. Even those in marriage are experiencing gender-based violence. Studies conducted by GREENER in these communities indicated that there is high prevalence of gender-based violence, power imbalance and domestic abuse on these vulnerable and marginalized women and girls which have led to patriarchal structures that have perpetuated inequalities within the communities. This research showed that 80% of these vulnerable women and girls have been disenfranchised and they live in poverty and are meant for reproduction and taking care of the children. As a result of these induced social constructs, these vulnerable women and girls suffer from imposed marginalities, high rate of teenage pregnancies and sexual violence.

This project will sensitize and enlighten these young people especially young women and girls on their rights to SRHR, bodily autonomy and integrity. Through the making and production of SKITs in these communities in which the young people in these communities are major participants will let them be more enlightened on their rights on SRHR and this will reduce the deep-rooted cultural taboos and stigma that may discourage them from seeking essential care. The young women and girls will have the agency to participate in leadership in their communities since they are aware of their rights and contribute to the economies of their communities. There will be reduction on maternal mortality due to unsafe abortions and the healthcare providers will be able to give non-judgmental services when delivering their services on SRHR.

Our organization has carried out researches before the design of this project and it indicated that most of these young people especially the young women and girls learn through what they like the most. And it was discovered that they like going through the social media especially SKITs. That is when GREENER started sensitizing these young people especially young women and girls on SRHR through SKITs in Ugwunagbo Community in Abia State. A lot of these youths showed interest in the making and production of these SKITs so they joined. This has made the organization to understand their needs more while engaging them in these activities while we will be engaging them as a means to get to other young people especially young women and girls in other communities. Our organization especially the project team has been involving these young people in designing this project and how it will be carried out in other three communities in Abia State whereby other youths in these communities will be in the implementation and execution while carrying out this project. 

Currently, the youths in Ugwunagbo Community in Abia State, Nigeria are i making and production of the Skits. There are about 1400 ( 900 young women and girls) involved. These young people are aware of their rights on SRHR and exercise them. 

Sensitizing and enlightening these young people especially young women and girls through Skits making and production on SRHR is a way of getting these young people to learn their rights on SRHR through something they love doing. Skit production is an existing application but we have been able to reach to a lot of young people in Ugwunagbo Community in Abia State there by reducing unintended pregnancies, sexual transmitted diseases, gender-based violence and these young women and girls are now participating in leadership in the community and contribute to the economies of the community. This Skit production is a way of reaching these young people at a wider range through what they love doing the most which will be effective and stand as a footprint for sustainability even after the duration of this project in other communities in Abia state.

Through the community outreaches and production of Skits, in the next one year, the young people in these communities especially the young women and girls are aware of SRHR as their rights, have access to SRHR resources, information and services and there is transformation of social norms and culture. Through the community outreaches and involvement of young people on SRHR, these young people will be aware of their rights to SRHR, bodily autonomy and bodily integrity. Also, through the participation of these young people in Skit making and production on SRHR, these young people will be aware of their rights to seek for care on SRHR, have their own agency to exercise their rights.

Also, through the sensitization and capacity development of the healthcare providers in these three communities, in the next one year, the healthcare providers are rendering out quality services and care on sexual reproductive health and delivering non-judgmental services to people on SRHR.

In the next five years the impact goals are access to comprehensive sexuality education and information as well as SRHR services for young people, a wider range of people are aware of their sexual and reproductive health and rights, elimination of stigma and discrimination on grounds of gender or sexual orientation, reduction in maternal mortality, reduction in sexual transmitted diseases, access to SRHR services that are rights-based, culturally appropriate and gender-sensitive. These young women and girls experience maternal mortality because they are not aware of their sexual rights. Some of them are not aware of the use of contraceptives or how to undertake safe abortion. Through the sensitization of their rights to SRHR through the community outreaches and Skits production in these communities, these young women and girls will know how to avoid unintended pregnancies and make use of the safe abortion care services and these will bring about the reduction in maternal mortality. They will also have the agency to visit the health care facilities without the healthcare providers giving them judgmental services.  

 Also, there will be elimination of all forms of gender-based violence, participation in the leadership in the communities by the young women and girls including contribution to the economies in the communities. Knowing and being aware of their rights will make these young women and girls have the agency to participate in leadership in their communities. The system of power imbalance and gender-based violence will also be reduced in these communities. These young women and girls will also be sensitized to empower themselves and seek for a sustainable livelihood so that they can contribute to the economies of the communities.

Activities → Output→ Longer term outcomes

Community outreaches and involvement → Access to SRHR resources, information and services →Access to comprehensive sexuality education and information as well as SRHR services for young people

Community outreaches and involvement → Transform social norms → Eliminate stigma and discrimination on grounds of gender or sexual orientation

Community outreaches, sensitization and involvement →Agency for the young women and girls to exercise their rights → Eliminate all forms of gender-based violence, participate in leadership, contribute to the economies of their communities

Skits making and production → Increase individual awareness of SRHR as human rights→ Access to SRHR services that are rights-based, culturally appropriate and gender-sensitive, Reduction in maternal mortality, Reduction in sexual transmitted diseases, Access to safe and legal abortion and post abortion care for all

Training and capacity development of healthcare providers → improved SRHR services and care  → quality services and care given to youth especially young women and girls on SRHR

Full-time staff: 5

Part-time staff: 3

Contractors: 3

Our team has been into Skits production and making for one year and three months now. We have been able to reach out to young people especially young women and girls on SRHR, reduce the stigma and cultural taboos that has hindered them from speaking out and getting the required care and services. This Skits production and making has worked tremendously in Ugwunagbo Community in Abia State.

Our team is a women led group, founded and headed by women in South East of Nigeria, Abia State. We discovered that young people especially young women and girls do not have access to Sexual Reproductive Health care and services due to lack of access to information, societal stigma and taboos.

We also discovered that women, girls, and gender-diverse people have been kept out from institutions, systems, organizations and structures of influence and power in some communities in South East of Nigeria. These have led these groups to be disproportionately harmed by social and environmental conditions, and have restricted access to resources, spaces, and safety to advocate for and lead social change that centers their needs and rights.

We promote access to Sexual Reproduction Health and Rights, sustainable environment for economically marginalized women, girls and gender non-binary people in rural and urban communities across Nigeria. We also work in strengthening these women, girls and gender diverse people to influence policy, empower and improve women’s social, political and economic participation and help reduce exclusion, discrimination violence and inequality.

Our Mission is to reduce gender inequality, promote social and economic inclusion, and reduce poverty and promote access to sustainable livelihood for gender non-binary, and economically marginalized women and girls in rural communities across the regions.

Our Vision is “A world of hope, tolerance and social justice, where poverty has been overcome and all women and girls live in dignity and security”.

We build community-based networks of women and girls as a strategy to address inequality through sensitizing, training, and mobilizing women and girls to participate in leadership and decision making at all levels in the community. We also organize/mobilize women/girls to demand access to basic rights such as the right to be free from all forms of gender-based violence and the right to Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights including the rights to sexual reproductive healthcare services such as contraception and the right to safe abortion care services.

GREENER build community-based networks of women and girls as a strategy to address inequality through sensitizing, training, and mobilizing women and girls to participate in leadership and decision making at all levels in the community. We also organize/mobilize women/girls to demand access to basic rights such as the right to be free from all forms of gender-based violence and the right to Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights including the rights to sexual reproductive healthcare services such as contraception and the right to safe abortion care services. Through our various sensitization, outreaches, capacity strengthening and service deliveries we have been reduce gender inequality, promote social and economic inclusion, reduce poverty and promote access to sustainable livelihood for economically marginalized women and girls across the rural communities in Abia State, Nigeria.
 

Through the production and making of these Skits we have been able to generate revenue which has helped us thus far in funding this project in

Ugwunagbo Community in Abia State and extending this skits in other communities, will also help in funding this upcoming project. Also, the production of these skits will act as a way for the government to see the impact and this in return might bring fund from the government. Also, we in GREENER will continue to seek for grants and funds from donors.