A Kaduna-based Non-Governmental Organization, Womanhood Foundation, said on Tuesday it had trained over 300 Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA) in Kaduna State, as part of efforts to ensure safe motherhood.
The Coodinator of the Foundation, Hajiya Maryam Abubakar said in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna that the beneficiaries were mostly from communities without health facilities.
Abubakar said the aim was to empower the TBOs to go back to their communities and offer help to pregnant women before, during and after delivery.
She urged the state government to support those trained with necessary kits to enhance their skills and support to women at the community level.
“When we train the women, government should assist them with birth kits, to enable them assist other women in their various communities,” she said.
Abubakar stressed that the foundatioon also render support to orphans, children, divorcees and single mothers, to cope with the viccissitudes of life.
“Most times we pay their WEAC fees and also assist in offsetting hospital bills for pregnant women,” she said.
According to her, the foundation also train women in entrepreneurship and facilitate admission for some of them to study health related courses.
On maternal health, Abubakar explained that the foundation offers free antenatal care services and drugs to women.
“We have our hospital, the Womanhood Clinic and Maternity Home, which assists pregnant women free,” the coordinator added.
She said the organization also carry out sensitization programmes for women on the danger signs of pregnancy, labour and delivery, ” so that when they see these signs they can rush to the hospital.”
Abubakar urged husbands to allow their wives visit health facilities for antenatal care, to safeguard their lives and that of the unborn child.(NAN)