Foundation empowers 76 VVF patients in Jigawa

Fistula Foundation in Nigeria (FFN) says it has trained 76 Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) patients in Jigawa in different income-generating trades.

Alhaji Muhammad Bello, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, made this known in an interview in Dutse on Monday.

Bello said that the training, which held on June 29, was in collaboration with the UN Population Fund (UNPFA) and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

He explained that the beneficiaries, who were from Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Bauchi and Yobe states, underwent repair surgery by MSF at the VVF Centre at Jahun General Hospital, Jahun Local Government Area of the state.

The permanent secretary added that the state government provided transport fare to each of the patients back to their respective states.

According to him, the beneficiaries received trainingin trades of their choices, such as tailoring, hairdressing, animals rearing, groundnut oil milling, knitting, grains grinding and local spaghetti production.

Bello added that the beneficiaries were given starter kits to start their businesses of choice.

The permanent secretary, who commended FFN and UNFPA for the gesture, said that the training would go a long way in creating jobs and promoting self-reliance among the VVF survivors.

“The training and the starter kits will get them engaged and ease the psychological trauma and stigmatisation they might experience after discharge from hospital.

“We have also counselled them to heed to doctors’ advice for proper healing,” he said.

Supreme reports that the MSF is an international independent medical humanitarian organisation, created in 1971.

It has been performing surgeries on VVF patients at the centre for over years.

The organisation provides medical assistance to people affected by conflicts, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare.