By Sola Ogundipe
No fewer than 853 adolescent girls from Atan, Etere and Otun communities in Adodo Ota LGA in Ogun state have benefited from Society for Family Health, SFH, Adolescent 360 (A360) programme aimed at reducing barriers to access and increasing voluntary uptake of modern contraceptives by adolescent girls.
The initiative was to improve sexual reproductive health of girls aged 15-19 while helping them achieve their dreams and succeed in life.
The Director, A360 Project, Roselyn Odeh said the initiative dubbed 9JA Girls programme is holistic approach frames contraception within the broader context of life, love, and health by providing girls with access to sexual and reproductive health information and services.
She noted that the programme seeks to increase prevalence rate of modern contraceptives (mCPR) and ensure a brighter future for adolescent girls in Nigeria.
“To deliver the economic strengthening adaptation in Ogun state, SFH partnered with Royal Heritage Health Foundation (RHHF) as an implementing partner. The programme ran in batches that take a girl approximately 3-4 months to complete and girls were enrolled on a rolling basis.”
The intervention has two anticipated outcomes which include adolescent girls (aged 15-19) having the knowledge, and support to pursue economic autonomy, and being equipped with adequate knowledge to make informed health decisions and choices.
Odeh noted that the long-term impact of the A360 Economic Strengthening programme is for adolescent girls to have improved agency and financial resources to lead the lives they desire, and to make informed decisions that involve the control and allocation of resources, financial independence and establishment of a sustainable business.
She stated that SFH implemented and evaluated an economic strengthening pilot that layers on top of A360’s SRH programming which is designed to improve adolescent girls’ economic and health outcomes. “This study was designed to access effectiveness of A360’s Economic Strengthening adaptations in improving outcomes related to economic empowerment and girls’ autonomy while amplifying the core SRH programme outcomes.”