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True, literacy rates have generally appreciated worldwide for both males and females. Still, males are on average more literate than females. In 2020, a little over 83 percent of women in the world were literate, however, about 90 percent of men were literate.

As opposed to the misconception associated with women literacy, Literate women in fact implies that they have the ability to process information that they receive and use it in the improvement of various aspects of their society such as nutrition, health and the education of other members of their households and their society by extension.

Statistics show that Literate women are more likely to send their children, especially their girls, to school. Women who acquire literacy become more resilient economically and are more likely to be involved in the social, political and cultural life of their society and country at large.
The United Nations Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking says that Women are most vulnerable to trafficking when they are undereducated and poor. Providing education to women to help them improve life skills is bound to significantly undermine this terrible industry.
When women are provided with equal rights and equal access to education, they go on to engage in economic as well as business activities. This increases the earning power and improves our chances of winning this war against poverty.
Women literacy improves Gross domestic product. Statistics show that when 10 percent more women attend school, GDP increases by three percent on average.
Educating a woman is more than educating an individual, it is educating the world.

Speak Wednesday is an initiative of CFHI to address issues around gender-based violence and gender bias.

#SpeakWednesday #Women’sLiteracy #Women’sRights #GenderStereotype #GenderBias #GenderInequality

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), 40% of half a million humanitarian workers who provide frontline care during emergencies, wars, and disasters, are women. That is an estimated figure of 250,000 aid workers.

Despite this significant figure, there is still gender inequality between men and women in the humanitarian leadership sector, with the implication that women are still underrepresented in humanitarian leadership roles (Stiffman 2015, cited in Hill et al. 2016).

The demonstrated commitment and contribution of women in the humanitarian sector confirms that it is vital that government and stakeholders enable an inclusive environment for women to become leaders for the transformation of the humanitarian system and society at large.

Leadership equality, however, is not about only having the same number of men and women in top positions or in the top of the organizational structure, it is also about making sure that there is equal opportunity for both women and men to get there.

The lack of women in leadership has a great impact across sectors and countries. It impedes productivity and performance of workplaces and has individual and national health, socioeconomic, education, and political impacts. Therefore, it is expedient that more support and regard are given to women who labor on the front lines in the most conflicted and unsafe places in the world.

Speak Wednesday is an initiative of CFHI to address issues around gender-based violence and gender bias.

#SpeakWednesday #WorldHumanitarianDay #WomenInHumanitarianSector #WomenLeaders #GenderStereotype #GenderBias #GenderInequality

 

                                                                          

 In the past week, we discussed breastfeeding to a larger extent. We highlighted its physical, mental and health benefits to both mother and child.

Today, we will be sharing the economic benefits of breastfeeding as it affects individual, the community, and a Nation.

The economic benefits of breastfeeding include; lower net food cost to households, reduced expenditure on publicly subsidized formula and health care, and lower overall health care costs.

According to John Weimer, Economic Research Service(U.S. Department of Agriculture), in the US alone, an estimated minimum of $3.6 billion would be saved if breastfeeding were increased from current levels (64 percent in-hospital, 29 percent at 6 months) to those recommended by the U.S. Surgeon General (75 and 50 percent, respectively). Likely, this figure is an underestimation of the total savings because it represents cost savings from the treatment of only three childhood illnesses: Otitis media, Gastroenteritis, and Necrotizing enterocolitis.

The benefits of breastfeeding even on a large scale cannot be overly emphasized.

Therefore, exclusive breastfeeding should be encouraged by all.

#Breastfeeding #who #unfpa #unicef
#EducateandSupport
#BuildingBackBetter
#MondayHealthBurst

 

Despite the heightened awareness of the health benefits of breastfeeding, there is still a low rate of breastfeeding practices in Nigeria. This is because of the social inequalities against nursing mothers who struggle to live above these challenges.

According to epidemiologists, breastfeeding has become a social justice and health equity issue, and is no longer for rocking chairs.

Studies have shown that cultural and societal attitudes, poor family and social support, embarrassment about feeding in public, lactation problems including ignorance, and other psychological influences exacerbate the marginalization of nursing mothers. Such inequalities range from access to healthcare, education, employment, leadership roles, etc.

To address the social inequities and injustices in the opportunities and resources affecting the patterns of resourceful breastfeeding mothers, education and support from family and society are paramount. Also, the implementation of maternal legal rights will protect working nursing mothers from every form of social injustice and discrimination.

Speak Wednesday is an initiative of CFHI to address issues around gender-based violence and gender bias.

#SpeakWednesday #WorldBreastfeedingWeek #Breastfeedingchallenges #GenderBias #breastfeeding #inequality #GBV #UNFPA #UNICEF #WHO

                         

 

Breastfeeding is a process by which breast milk is fed to a child. According to World Health Organization, it is one of the most effective ways to ensure child health and survival, although nearly 2 out of 3 infants are not exclusively breastfed for the recommended 6 months. This is very common among female workers who are breadwinners and also nursing mothers.
Breastfeeding at the workplace poses a serious challenge to female workers in our society today.

Ordinarily, as Africans, nursing mothers feel nervous about breastfeeding in the public to avoid indecent exposure. Also, nursing mothers are treated unfavourably by some employers. Therefore, to preserve their job, most nursing mothers discontinue breastfeeding their children at an early stage.

What did the law say about the protection of nursing mothers?
In recognition of the recommended exclusive breastfeeding by the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health, the Nigerian law provided in Section 54 of the Labour Act (Cap L1 LFN 2004) thus;
(1)In any public or private industrial or commercial undertaking or any branch thereof, or any agricultural undertaking or any branch thereof, a woman-

(d) Shall, in any case, if she is nursing her child, be allowed half an hour twice a day during her working hours for that purpose?

The implementation of this law will support employers to provide lactation rooms with standardized facilities at the workplace. More importantly, it will help promote the exclusive breastfeeding rate and lactation practice among female workers and protect working mothers from discrimination from their employers and colleagues.

Speak Wednesday is an initiative of CFHI to address issues around gender-based violence and gender bias.

#SpeakWednesday #WorldBreastfeedingWeek #BreastfeedingFemaleWorkers #GenderBias

Welcome to today’s Monday Health Burst on Viral Hepatitis Vaccination and Treatment. The vaccination and treatment for hepatitis differs depending on the type of virus.

Hepatitis A has no specific treatments. The body usually clears up the virus within 6 months of contraction, without leaving a lasting damage on the liver. However, resting, managing nausea, avoiding alcohol and use of medications could help. Currently, the two  known types of hepatitis A vaccine include a single-dose vaccine which is given as two shots, 24 weeks apart, and a vaccine combination that can protect against both hepatitis A and hepatitis B. The combination vaccine can be given as three shots over 6 months.

Haptieties B vaccine is available for all age groups. However, the treatment of Hepatitis B may be life long. This is to ensure that the infection does not develop to something much worse and that the infection does not spread to other people. These treatment may include: Antiviral medications, Interferon injections and Liver transplant.

The most effective therapy for hepatitis C is a drug combination consisting of pegylated interferon and ribavirin. Pegylated interferon is taken weekly as an injection and ribavirin is a twice daily tablet. The treatment is a form of chemotherapy and the ability to tolerate it varies widely for each person. There is currently no vaccine for hepatitis C, but the best way to prevent hepatitis C is by avoiding behaviors that can spread the disease, especially injecting drugs. It is important to carryout routine testing for hepatitis C, because treatments can cure most people with hepatitis C in 8 to 12 weeks according to research.

For Hepatitis D, Pegylated interferon alpha is the generally recommended treatment. Treatment should last for at least 48 weeks irrespective of the patient’s response. Though virus tends to give a low rate of response to the treatment, the treatment is associated with a lower likelihood of disease progression, according to National Center for Biotechnology Information. There is also no vaccine to prevent hepatitis D yet, however, a report by Centre for Disease Control shows that prevention of hepatitis B with hepatitis B vaccine also protects against future hepatitis D infection.

There is no specific treatment capable of altering the course of acute hepatitis E, as the disease is usually self-limiting. Hospitalization is generally not required. Most important is the avoidance of unnecessary medications. Acetaminophen, paracetamol and medication against vomiting should be used sparingly or avoided.
Hospitalization is required for people with fulminant hepatitis and should also be considered for symptomatic pregnant women. Immunosuppressed people with chronic hepatitis E benefit from specific treatment using ribavirin, an antiviral drug. In some specific situations, interferon has been used successfully. A vaccine to prevent hepatitis E virus infection has been developed and is licensed in China, but is not yet available elsewhere.

Monday Health Burst is an initiative of CFHI to address issues of basic health concern. Join us every Monday on all our social media platforms for more episodes.

#StillOnViralHepatitis #Vaccine #Treatment #WHD2022 #BB9ja

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

 

                                                                                                                              

 

Viral hepatitis occurs in pregnant women atimes due to peculiar diseases associated with pregnancy, such as acute fatty liver of pregnancy, elevated liver enzyme, severe pre-eclampsia and low platelet count.

Statistics has shown that about 9 in 10 pregnant women with acute hepatitis B virus infection will pass the virus to their babies. Also, between 1 and 2 in 10 women with chronic infection. Most transmission of viral hepatitis from mother to child happen by exposing infants to an infected blood and fluids during labour and delivery, and autoimmune liver condition.

Symptoms of viral hepatitis in children include dehydration, diarrhea, abdominal pain and vomiting before showing signs of severe acute hepatitis (increased liver enzymes and jaundice).

According to research, vaccine provides over 95 percent protection in infants, and the prevalence of viral hepatitis among vaccinated women during childhood is considerably moderate compared to non vaccinated women. Hence, timelines in the reception of the birth dose and completion of the schedule would help to actualize the efficiency of the vaccine. Also, supervising hand washing in young children can help to prevent infections that can cause hepatitis.

Monday Health Burst is an initiative of CFHI to address issues of basic health concern. Join us every Monday on all our social media platforms for more episodes.

#ViralHepatitis #MaternalHealth #ChildHealth #MondayHealthBurst

 

                                                                                                                       

 

                                                                               

After childbirth, most women experience a significant drop in their careers. This is called the motherhood penalty.

According to Wikipedia, the motherhood penalty is a term coined by sociologists who argue that in the workplace, working mothers encounter biological and cultural-based disadvantages in pay, perceived competence, and benefits relative to childless women.

Mothers in the workforce most times face discrimination in the hiring process based on stereotypical views that women are less committed to their work, therefore less productive. Subsequently, this affects the employability rate of women, wages, evaluations, promotions, and in a long run, their careers.  

To change the narrative, the government should make policies that prohibit discrimination against mothers, continue to promote paid parental leave, and assess gender wage gaps. Society and employers should learn to provide support for working mothers as that will reduce the penalization of women for starting a family.

Speak Wednesday is an initiative of CFHI to address issues around gender-based violence and gender bias. Join us every Wednesday on all our social media platforms for more episodes.

 

# SpeakWednesday #MotherhoodPenalty #GenderBias #Genderinequality