By Ibrahima Yakubu
Kaduna (Nigeria) –Over 300 rural women have been trained as Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) in Kaduna, North-west Nigeria, to assist pregnant women while giving birth and also tackle minor health challenges of children living in rural areas of Kaduna state.
The training was provided by Womenhood School of Health Science, (a Kaduna based Non Governmental Organization).
This effort according to the Director of the school, Maryam Abubakar, is geared towards reducing the rate of maternal and child mortality in the state especially in rural areas due to the shortage of medical personnel in the state which is grossly inadequate.
She said, “We trained them professionally and send them back to their remote communities, hoping that this would also help in tackling minor health challenges.”
The director further added that, as part of their corporate social responsibility, the school offers free medical services especially free anti-natal services for pregnant women living in surrounding communities of the school such as Badarawa, Anguwan Dosa, Legislative Quarters, Kawo and Sabon Kawo on special days.
“For the past 3 years the school has been rendering many health services to women and children living closer to the school environment. We also give our support by organizing campaigns against Polio and the other six child killer diseases.”
A beneficiary of the training, Fatima Sa’id in a remarks applauded the school for such a wonderful initiative and called on the government, Philanthropist as well as Other Non –governmental organizations, to also introduce initiatives and programs that could enhance women and children’s’ health especially in rural communities across the country.
She also said the knowledge she gained from the training will be used judiciously to benefit members of her community, adding that, “even before we round up our training program, I had already started attending to many pregnant women and some little cases in my community.”
Beneficiaries of the training are mostly widows and divorcees drawn from across the 23 local government area of the state.
