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The Story of Favour Odibo

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As an adolescent, Favour became a member of the DREAMS club. As a complementary package, CFHI enrolled her for one year tailoring skill acquisitions, during her apprenticeship, she did exceptionally and as such she was empowered with a sewing machine as a startup kit.

Being an intelligent girl, shetook advantage of the pandemic and began to produce facemasks which was in high demand, this in turn increased her turn over. Today, Favour is independent and owns a tailoring outfit in front of her house where she makes dresses for her customers. From the income generated from her tailoring business, she has been able to support her family financially and this has improved the livelihood of her family.

The Odibos are grateful for this great opportunity giving to their daughter.

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SPEAK WEDNESDAY

40 Comments / Gender, Speak Wednesday, Uncategorized, Women /

WOMEN DEALING WITH EMOTIONAL ABUSE

According to Tracy, N. (2012, July 29), emotional abuse is one of the most common forms of abuse that occurs in close relationships. It is also known as psychological abuse. Emotional abuse Is when something is consistently said, implied or done intentionally to hurt someone’s feelings over an extended period of time. It is about one person maintaining power or control over another person which usually takes place between intimate partners.

Emotional abuse can include verbal assault, dominance, privacy invasion, economic subordination,  control, isolation, gas lighting, ridicule, or the use of intimate knowledge for degradation. It targets the emotional and psychological well-being of the victim, and it is often a precursor to physical abuse. Studies show that women are at a disadvantaged point and have a higher chance of being abused emotionally due to the deep-rooted patriarchal nature of the society and of men controlling ‘their’ women.

Emotional abuse may be less obvious than physical abuse, but can still have devastating effects on the mental health and wellbeing of the victim. Effects of emotional abuse on women could be short or long-term. According to different reports, psychological or emotional abuse in women can be linked to poor relationship satisfaction, anxiety, depression, insomnia, low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts, increased physical health problems (such as migraine, indigestion, stomach ulcers, chronic pain and chronic disease), among others. Emotional abuse may be contributing factors to the development and/or severity of illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.

Victims of emotional abuse often times feel embarrassed to report or open up about issues of emotional abuse especially those with no physical evidence. However, it is necessary to seek help or counselling either from a friend, a doctor or a relationship or family counsellor to avoid the adverse effects it may have on your general well-being.

Speak Wednesday is an initiative of Centre for Family Health Initiative to stop the cycle of domestic violence by breaking the silence around gender-based violence and gender bias. Join us every Wednesday on all our social media handles for more episodes.

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MONDAY HEALTH BURST

Drug Abuse, Drugs, Health, Uncategorized, WHO /

DRUG ABUSE

According to Environmental and Public Health Journal in December 2018, drug abuse refers to the use of drugs to treat self-diagnosed disorders or symptoms, and the continued use of a prescribed drug for chronic or recurrent disease or symptoms. It is “the taking of drugs, herbs or home remedies on one’s own initiative, or on the advice of another person, without consulting a medical expert. Also, according to Dr. Ananya Mandal, drug abuse or substance abuse refers to the use of certain chemicals for the purpose of creating pleasurable effects on the brain.

Medical Life Sciences reports that there are over 190 million drug users around the world and the problem has been increasing at alarming rates, especially among young adults under the age of 30. Apart from the long term damage to the body drug abuse causes, drug addicts who use needles are at risk of contracting HIV and hepatitis B and C. Not only does this affect the drug abuser directly, the family members and the society at large are affected negatively in one way or another.

Drug abuse in regards to the usage of antibiotics is reported as being highly prevalent and common in developing nations in Africa, according to World Health Organisation, which can pose a risk to the abuser. Another drug that is constantly abused is Paracetamol and Vitamin C tablet. Research has it that the excessive use of Paracetamol causes the inflammation of the liver and weakens the immune system, and high doses of Vitamin C can cause neurological symptoms, such as tingling and numbness, and possibly permanent nerve damage.

It is essential to consult a medical expert before treating any form of illness. Centre for Family Health Initiative continues to sensitize people especially in rural communities to the dangers ascribed to drug abuse on their health.

Monday Health Burst is an initiative of Centre for Family Health Initiative (CFHI) to tackle issues of basic health concerns. Join us every Monday for more health related articles on all our social media platforms.

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MONDAY HEALTH BURST

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DANGERS OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE

Substance abuse is defined as the harmful or hazardous use of psychoactive substances, including alcohol and illicit drugs.

Commonly abused substances include stimulants, cocaine, opioids, heroin, sedatives, alcohol, prescription pain killers such as tramadol and many more. The use of these psychoactive substances can lead to dependence syndrome- a cluster of behavioral, cognitive, and physiological phenomena that develop after repeated substance use and that typically include a strong desire to take the drug, difficulties in controlling its use, persisting in its use despite harmful consequences, a higher priority given to drug use than to other activities and obligations, increased tolerance, and sometimes a physical withdrawal state.

The dangers of substance abuse are quite numerous and varies depending on what is abused and the length of use. However, the biopsychosocial health of an individual is affected at large.

Biological effect such as: increased heart rate, hypertension, end organ damage, blood dyscrasias, malignancies, seizures, blood-borne diseases like hepatitis or HIV, impotence or infertility, learning and memory problems, lung damage, respiratory depression and coma.

Psychological effects include: tolerance, dependence and drug addiction, withdrawal symptoms when trying to cut back or quit, mental disorders, among others.

Social effect include; jeopardizing relationships with friends and family, neglecting work and school responsibilities, involvement in criminal activity and a greater risk of being victimized by crime.

Drug addicts did not start abusing substances in one day, they did gradually. Hence, it is important to totally abstain from substance abuse to maintain a healthy biopsychosocial life.

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MONDAY HEALTH BURST – COVID-19 LOCKDOWN

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MONDAY HEALTH BURST – COVID-19 LOCKDOWN

About five months ago, the world woke up to the news of a new Corona virus, a Novel virus which led to Nigeria’s decision of locking down her major cities to slow down the spread for the past 5 weeks.

During the recent address by Mr. President, it was stated that the stay at home order will be lifted by May 4th. However, it is important that as we go back to work, we need not throw caution to the wind and return to business as usual. It is expected that we remember why the lockdown was enforced in the first place.

According to worldometer figures, we are presently at over 3.2 million confirmed cases of the corona virus (Covid-19) and more than two thousand deaths. This means all hands must be on deck.

As we leave the lockdown, kindly follow the prescribed WHO guidelines of:

Hand hygiene; Washing hands with soap under running water for at least 20 seconds or use of an alcohol-based sanitizer.

Wear a face mask; WHO encourages the use of non-medical face masks for the fear of shortage for medical professionals.

When coughing or sneezing; Cough and sneeze in a flexed elbow or into tissue/handkerchief and dispose of it immediately.

Clean all surfaces; Regularly clean tables, counter tops, door handles, windows, etc, with bleach or disinfectant solutions.

When sick, stay at home; If you notice any symptom of Covid-19, stay at home and call NCDC hotlines in your state if need be.

Avoid public gatherings/places; As much as possible, regulate your movement till this pandemic is mitigated.

Keep social distance; Do not mistake eased restrictions to the end of Covid-19. Social distancing is very essential. This is not the time to visit or hold parties.

As much as possible, maintain the routines as stated while on lockdown. Spread the awareness not the virus. Let us all do our parts to flatten the curve and together with our medical professionals we will beat Covid-19.
#Stay Safe

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SPEAK WEDNESDAY – GENDER THEORIES (PART ONE)

Gender, Uncategorized, Women /

 

Simone de Beauvior’s gender theory – One is not born a woman, one becomes one, differentiates sex from gender.  This theory believes that gender is an aspect of identity gradually acquired. Everything we are is as a result of choices and what we build from our own resources and those which society gives us. We don’t only create our own values, we create ourselves.

It is said that sometimes, it is hard to become a woman because of the struggle for human freedom in the apparently disadvantaged female body. De Beauvoir argues that it is not the biological condition of women per se that constitutes a handicap: it is how a woman construes this condition that renders it positive or negative.

Becoming a woman takes conscious efforts and deliberate actions. What feminist philosophers like de Beauvoir aim to achieve is to open the space for that freedom to flourish. To her, gender was decided by the way parents treated and raised their children. Hence, gender identity is decided very early in life. This means that a girl is built up emotionally as the weaker sex, not to have a voice and a decision when she is with her “Male folks”, to always live as an assistant rather than a leader, not to dare or have a dream greater than a male.

This theory from Simone de Beauvior serves as a reminder that we are first human before gender, creating awareness so that we can change certain things about our societies for the better. It also calls attention to the negative effects of the way women are treated differently in the society.

Join us next week on Speak Wednesday for more gender theories.

#Gender #Womeninspire #Genderinequality.

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MONDAY HEALTH BURST – PROPER HYGIENE AND SANITATION

Health, Hygiene, Sanitation, Uncategorized, WHO /

MONDAY HEALTH BURST – PROPER HYGIENE AND SANITATION:

Simply put, hygiene is the personal practices we imbibe that contribute to healthy living like hand washing, hair trimming and keeping nails short and clean, bathing, brushing of teeth morning and evening, among others. Sanitation on the other hand, is the actions and use of tools we combine towards keeping our environment clean, safe and healthy. These include effective drainage and proper waste disposal, how we prepare food, maintain toilet facilities and washing stations.
According to WHO, these practices are important towards the availability of clean water, combating Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTP) like helminths via contaminated soil and water, lymphatic filariasis which affects 1 billion of the world’s poorest people in about 149 countries. It includes prevention of water borne diseases like diarrhoea, cholera and breeding of organisms that cause malaria and onchocerciasis.
Globally, 2.4 billion people lack access to proper toilet facilities, hence, the high rate of open defecation. Over 946 million people worldwide practice open defecation according to a WHO report, leading to contamination of the soil and nearby water bodies, often resulting in diseases affecting communities.
To ensure we understand the scope and scale of the need for hygiene and sanitation, we need to start with us as individuals, making sure we imbibe hygienic practices and sanitize our environment by disposing waste properly, recycling, cleaning of our homes and surroundings, culminating in the next step of community led sanitation. Communities can provide proper latrines and waste disposal means which is an important part of sanitation and can drastically reduce diseases in the communities.
To help build and maintain a healthy community and personal health, especially in this prevailing pandemic, we must embrace proper hygiene and sanitation.
#HygieneAndSanitation #MondayHealthBurst #Stayhome #Staysafe

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WORLD MALARIA DAY 2020

COVID-19, Health, Special Events, Uncategorized, WHO /

WORLD MALARIA DAY 2020: ZERO MALARIA STARTS WITH ME:

“From 2000 to 2015, several countries made tremendous progress in the fight against malaria. Globally, malaria deaths fell by more than 50%. Seventeen countries eliminated malaria, and six were certified by the WHO as malaria-free”. This exceptional progress demonstrated that malaria elimination is achievable.

Despite the progress made in the fight against malaria, half of the world population is still at risk of this devastating disease. According to WHO’s World Malaria Report for 2019, the scourge of malaria continues to strike hardest against pregnant women and young children in Africa. Scaling up efforts to reduce cases and deaths among these two populations would provide significant boost in the fight against malaria.

With the present Covid-19 pandemic concerns taking the front line, there is need to ensure that efforts and progress gained in the fight against malaria are not lost and there is continued testing and treatment of malaria cases even within this pandemic. WHO warned on Thursday, April 23, that the number of deaths caused by malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa could double to 769,000 this year, as efforts to curb the disease are disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is essential that we keep to the guidelines of cleaning the environment and dispensing stagnant waters around homes, ensuring proper covering of openings, fumigate regularly, appropriate clothing especially for children at night and most importantly the use of insecticide treated mosquito net. In as much as we enjoin everyone to stay at home, never hesitate to seek medical help if fever occurs.

Happy World Malaria Day!

#StaySafe #WMD2020

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SPEAK WEDNESDAY – WOMEN PARTICIPATION IN SPORTS

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WOMEN PARTICIPATION IN SPORTS – LOCKDOWN PRESENTING OPPORTUNITY FOR INDOOR AND CONTROLLED OUTDOOR SPORTS

The number of women who currently participate in sports or who closely follow sporting events is steadily increasing, despite the traditional believe that women are not allowed to participate in games exclusively for men.
On 19 April 1967, Kathrine Switzer made history by circumventing the ban that prevented women from competing in a marathon. She also did this in the oldest marathon in the world — the Boston Marathon. She did not just run it, she finished it with a time of 4 hours and 20 minutes despite the organizers’ boycott.

Times have changed, and the International Olympic committee (IOC) has played an important role in establishing a positive trend to enhance women’s participation in sports.
Over the last 30 years, the IOC has been advocating for the participation of women at all levels, encouraging National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and International Federations (IFs) to enhance the presence of women in sports at all levels.

The success of the IOC Women in Sports Policy is noticeable in terms of women’s participation in the games. The number of women competing at the games has increased significantly over the last 30 years – from 26.1 percent at Seoul 1988 to a record of 45.2 per cent at Rio 2016. In October 2018, the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Buenos Aires 2018 was the first fully gender balanced Olympic event ever.

Women have over the years carved a niche in the sport arena. There can’t be mention of some sports without the big-name women players.

Serena Williams has taken it upon herself to see that the U.S. remains an international force to be reckoned with in tennis. She has won 13 individual Grand Slams as at 2014—not to mention eight doubles Grand Slams and three Olympic gold medals.
Ronda Rousey has emerged as one of the biggest stars in MMA. Russian tennis pro Maria Sharapova is not just one of the top women sports, she is in the conversation about who rules the sport. NASCAR driver Danica Patrick is a polarizing figure in the sports world.

Nigeria is not left behind as Blessing Okagbare is a light bearer in the athletic world. Loveliness Obiji paralympic gold medalist is also a force to reckon with, Asisat Oshoala (Football), Funke Oshonaike (Table Tennis), just to mention but a few.

According to the Women and Sports report, women who participate in sporting activities at school have a 76% chance of remaining interested in sports for the rest of their lives. So, we need to encourage the children and wards to give it their best shot.

Women are known to put in their best in their choice career, so the world must change her mindset. The present lockdown presents opportunity for indoor and controlled outdoor sports. It is important now more than ever to discover new passion, because sport has long since ceased to be a man’s game.
#EndInequailtyinsport #Womeninspire #Womeninsport.

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