To mark the International Women’s Day, the Councilor representing Bakassi Ward 7 in Bakassi Local Government Council of Cross River State, Hon. Grace Bassey partnered with Marie Stopes International Organisation Nigeria (MSION) to provide family planning services to women in the community.
The event held on Wednesday, March 24, 2021. It featured health talks that sensitized women on the benefits of family planning, dispelling myths and misconceptions. One-on-one counselling sessions held for the women and family planning services provided.
Speaking at the event, the State Family Planning (FP) Coordinator Barrister Mrs Lucy Enakirerhi dispelled the widely believed myth that family planning results in infertility and leads to “bad blood accumulation inside the womb.” She further encouraged the women to take up services as this will help them space their children effectively.
Also speaking, Marie Stopes Nigeria’s South East Regional Manager, Mr Sam Ibekwe, reinforced the messages delivered by the Community Mobilization Officer and the FP Coordinator. He encouraged women to start a method of their choice after one-on-one counselling with the providers on site.
Hon. Grace Bassey expressed appreciation to MSION for her community-oriented services and appealed for more collaborations as World Population Day draws close.
Bakassi consists of riverine communities bounded in the East by the Republic of Cameroon and in the South by Equatorial Guinea and the Bight of Bonny. Often, oil spills, ocean surge, tidal flows in Bakassi Local Government Area impoverish the people.
