Over 150 community health workers drawn from the Orlu, Owerri, and Okigwe zones have been trained on strategies to eliminate unsafe abortion in Imo State.
The training was conducted through a capacity-building programme organized by a non-governmental organization, the Tapestry Project.
Held in Owerri, the programme brought together grassroots activists and health workers selected from various communities across the state. The training focused on reproductive justice, access to accurate sexual and reproductive health information, and community-based advocacy.
Speaking at the event, the Chief Executive Officer of Awaka Go Forward International Center for Community Youth and Women Development and Project Coordinator of the Tapestry Project, Evangelist Peter Chima, said the organization has been actively mobilizing communities through issue-based campaigns aimed at promoting safer reproductive health practices.
He explained that the NGO works to engage communities in adopting better approaches to reproductive justice by providing accurate information and resources on reproductive health and rights. According to him, the organization also supports individuals—especially women and young people—to make informed decisions about their bodies.
Resource persons at the training emphasized the importance of contraception and family planning, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that access to medical abortion services and reliable reproductive health information remains critical.
They explained that the consistent and correct use of condoms helps prevent unintended pregnancies as well as sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.
They added that effective contraception reduces the strain on already overstretched health systems by preventing unplanned pregnancies and related complications.
Facilitators also provided participants with an overview of menstruation and fertility, explaining that menstruation begins when a young woman reaches puberty and starts ovulating—the process by which an egg is released from the ovaries.
They noted that pregnancy occurs when sperm fertilizes an egg during sexual intercourse and that a woman is most fertile a few days before, during, and shortly after ovulation, although pregnancy can occur at any time during the menstrual cycle
The training concluded with a call on participants to take the knowledge gained back to their communities in order to promote safe reproductive health practices and reduce cases of unsafe abortion across Imo State.
