By Amos Aar
STAKEHOLDERS in humanitarian services on Thursday met at the Bureau for International Cooperation and Development (BICD) in Makurdi to deliberate on sustainable strategies for advancing sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) in rural communities.
The event, convened by Spring of Hope for the Girl Child Development Initiative (SHoGDI), marked the conclusion of the Community-Led Action Project for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (CLAP4SRHR), which has been implemented in Kwande and Logo LGAs over the past nine months.
Speaking at the meeting, two beneficiaries from IDP camps, Anita Tsavwua from Logo and Blessing Atime from Kwande, expressed gratitude for the skills they acquired in tailoring but appealed for start-up kits to help them become self-reliant and put their training to practical use.
The meeting also highlighted the need for continued collaboration among civil society organizations to protect adolescent girls, particularly those in IDP camps. Director General of BICD, Dr. Angelo Viashima, called for a collective response plan and announced the creation of a registration portal for civil society groups to enhance coordination and access to opportunities. He commended SHoGDI for creating a platform to review the CLAP4SRHR project and assured that BICD would explore future engagement with such impactful initiatives.
The Benue State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Anne Itodo, represented by the Director of Women Affairs, Mrs. Magdalene Andor, praised SHoGDI’s intervention and advocated the inclusion of boys in sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) programs to ensure balanced community awareness.
Similarly, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Dr. James Iorpuu, represented by Mr. Emmanuel Shagba, lauded SHoGDI for extending its outreach to areas like Kwande and Logo where humanitarian services were limited, stressing that collaboration remains key to sustainability.
In her remarks, Dr. Linda Dirisu, State Coordinator of the Sexual Assault Referral Center, applauded SHoGDI’s resilience and commitment to supporting girls.
Earlier in her opening address, SHoGDI Executive Director, Mimido Hundu, recounted the nine-month implementation process, highlighting how the project engaged traditional leaders, religious institutions, women groups, youth leaders, and IDP camp authorities to strengthen SRHR awareness and protection for adolescent girls.
Hundu stressed that the success of CLAP4SRHR was rooted in community ownership and urged stakeholders to sustain the momentum and ensure no girl is left behind in the fight against gender-based violence.
“Today marks a significant milestone our journey to advance sexual reproductive health and rights in these two LGAs, Kwande and Logo. We started this project last November. So, over the past nine months, we have gone to these communities. We have worked hand-in-hand with the traditional institutions, the religious institutions, the women leaders, youth leaders, the IDP camp leaders, and of course, the adolescent girls that are represented here this morning.
“So, we worked together with these relevant stakeholders in these communities to establish partnerships within their communities that advance SRHR and protection for adolescent girls in these communities. This project was not just an intervention. It was deeply rooted in community ownership.
“So, if you look at it from start to the finish of this project, we were working with the community. So, we have a shared vision for the rights, the health, and the general well-being of adolescents, especially the girls in our communities,” Hundu emphasized.
The executive director reiterated that empowering girls through the donation of sewing machines is a deliberate step towards ensuring long-term sustainability and community ownership of the project’s impact.
Presenting a summary of the project, Mr. Godwin Takor, Programme Officer, outlined its core achievements, which included establishing SGBV reporting and referral pathways, training peer educators, promoting menstrual hygiene through the production of reusable sanitary pads, and empowering adolescent girls with practical life skills.
The project also donated two sewing machines to aid economic empowerment. However, Takor noted challenges such as insecurity, poor logistics during the rainy season, initial scepticism from community leaders, and limited materials for reusable pad production.
The CLAP4SRHR project, implemented from November 2024 to July 2025, recorded significant progress, including a 60% improvement in SRHR knowledge among adolescent girls based on pre- and post-training evaluations. Monitoring and evaluation reports were used to adapt outreach and enhance training effectiveness.
Takor further stressed that health workers in the project areas still require training in the clinical management of rape and post-abortion care, while essential SRHR services like PrEP and PEP remain unavailable.
Acknowledging its partners, SHoGDI expressed appreciation to Plan International Nigeria, community leaders, camp officials, case managers, peer educators, and government agencies such as the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (BSEMA) for their continuous support.
