The UNFPA Maiduguri office welcomed Norway Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Knut Eiliv Lein accompanied by the UN Nigeria Resident Coordinator (RC) Mr. Matthias Schmale, for a high level visit to UNFPA facilities in Borno state.
The mission’s dignitaries, which also comprised UN heads of agencies of the World Food Programme, the UN High Commission for Refugees, the Food and Agriculture Organization as well as representatives of the Nigerian Humanitarian Fund, visited the Norway-funded One Stop Center (OSC) in the Muna camp for the internally displaced. The OSC is an integrated gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) facility, offering a holistic approach to provide simultaneous access to safe shelter, social integration, medical, psychosocial, and legal services especially for GBV survivors all in one place. By design, the center reduces the possibility of stigmatization and promotes confidentiality, addressing the multifaced needs of GBV survivors by streamlining the process of receiving services in confidentiality.
“Despite facing incredibly challenging circumstances, women and girls who have been forced to leave their homes and communities show remarkable resilience, determination, and strength to overcome their struggles and survive. Bound together by their determination and fortitude, these women have discovered a feeling of community and kinship at the Center for Empowerment”- UNFPA one-stop centre
During a focus group discussion, UNFPA frontline worker, Aisha Ibrahim, highlighted the profound impact the variety of services offered at the OSC have. She emphasized that the skills acquisition programme in particular, undeniably plays a pivotal role in elevating the economic resilience of the women and girl beneficiaries, granting them a profound sense of empowerment, honing their social standing within the community, and boosting their mental well-being.
The mission also included a visit to the Integrated Women and Girls Economics Centre and Integrated Health Facility where Ambassador Lein joined UNFPA in distributing 50 dignity kits to pregant women, lactating mothers and adolescent girls. During the outreach, SRH Mid-wives described the comprehensive maternal healthcare services provided for women of reproductive age and young adolescent girls at the facility and also presented some of the contents available inside the family planning and dignity kits to the dignitaries.
