Freedom For Life Initiative (FFLI), an NGO, has commenced a sensitization campaign against COVID-19 disease targeting women in endemic local government areas of Sokoto state.
Speaking at the campaign launch in Wamakko local government area, on Monday, the Project Director of FFLI, Hassan Muhammad-Ladan, said the women would also be sensitized on Gender-Based Violence (GBV).
He said they needed to be adequately sensitized to strictly adhere to COVID-19 protocols and to report cases of violence to the appropriate quarters, especially given the fact that many women were ignorant of COVID-19 symptoms, as such they would not know whether they had contracted it or not.
“They cannot differentiate between COVID-19 symptoms and that of mild cold. This is why we embark on this campaign,” Muhammad-Lada said.
Muhammad-Ladan added that women were targeted because they were the most vulnerable in the rural areas.
On GBV, he observed that there were many cases of violence against women and children, commending the state government for enacting a new law aimed at curbing the menace.
He thanked the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Sokoto state government for their support to the campaign.
Hajara Salisu and Sa’adiyya Sabi’u, some women who spoke at the event, said that they were better equipped now on the COVID-19 protocols, while commending the NGO and other organisations for their support towards containing the COVID-19 disease and its spread.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event witnessed Question and Answer sessions, as well as demonstrations of COVID-19 symptoms, ways to reports suspicious cases and treatment locations in the state. (NAN)
