The National Agency for the Control of AIDS, in conjunction with the United Nations, European Union, and the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, has unveiled the ‘Risk Communication and Community Engagement project.’
The project, which is championed via the UN Basket Fund support to the National COVID-19 Multi-Sectoral Pandemic Response, is set up to identify preventive measures that will curb the spread of the disease in the country.
The project will also help to cushion the negative impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable households and women living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria.
A statement signed by NACA’s spokesperson Toyin Aderibigbe, quoted the Director General of NACA, Dr. Gambo Aliyu, as saying the pandemic had impacted all aspects of human life, including social, economic, religious and psychological well being, noting further that it has devastating effects on other comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and HIV/AIDS.
Aliyu explained that with the effects of COVID-19, Nigeria has identified preventive interventions to limit the spread of the virus by involving the community in the fight against the spread of the virus through improving risk communication, social mobilization and community engagement.
He noted that the pandemic had had its toll on the world’s economy and that, here in Nigeria, the situation has hugely disrupted economic activities, causing loss of jobs among citizens most especially the vulnerable community in Nigeria.
The preventive interventions seeks to protect the most vulnerable women, including those living with HIV/AIDS, from the effects of COVID-19 such as loss of income due to loss of jobs and livelihood, increasing gender-based violence, and insecurity, among others.
Minister for Women Affairs and Co-Chair of the project, Mrs. Pauline Tallen, informed that key stakeholders had been working towards a common goal of reaching vulnerable women and households in 15 selected high-burden COVID-19 states of Lagos, FCT, Kano, Sokoto, Oyo, Edo, Rivers, Ogun, Kaduna, Borno, Gombe, Bauchi, Akwa-ibom, Delta and Ebonyi states.
“The Ministry of Women Affairs will work with UN Women, the state Ministries of Women Affairs and selected NGOs, including other implementing partners to ensure that cash palliatives reach indigent women in the targeted communities, in addition to monitoring of its utilisation by beneficiaries,” Tallen said.
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“The project will, in these 15 selected states, support two local government areas worst hit by COVID-19 pandemic, rape/sexual and other forms of violence, HIV/AIDS, as well as women living with disabilities.
Presenting the overview of the project, the Head Gender and Human Right Unit of NACA, Dr. Yinka Falola-Anoemwah, said, “The goal is to support the national multi-sectoral COVID-19 pandemic response through risk communication, social mobilisation and communication engagement”.
She further explained that the project will provide relief assistance such as cash and hygiene materials (face masks, hand sanitisers, soaps) to 18,000 women, girls and young people worst affected by the knock-on effects of the COVID 19 crisis
The key institutions involved are the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and National Agency for the Control of AIDS with technical support of UN Women, UNAIDS under the EU supported UN Joint Basket Fund for COVID-19.
At the end of the project implementation, it is expected that by April 2021, increased women’s awareness of sexual violence and COVID-19 would have been achieved, as well as improved women’s livelihood to mitigate the effects of COVID-19, among others.
