By Sani Idris Abdulrahman
The Kaduna State Primary Health Care Board (SPHCB), has sensitised adolescents with disabilities to sexual and reproductive health, menstrual hygiene, mental health and prevention of gender-based violence.
The exercise took place at the Kaduna State Special Education School (KADSSES) on Thursday, as part of the International Adolescent Health Week.
It was supported by UNICEF, the Society for Family Health (SFH) and other development partners.
The programme themed “Nothing About Us Without Us: Power, Voice and Health Equity for All Adolescents,” seeks to promote adolescents’ participation in decisions affecting their health and well-being.
Bilkisu Zailani, Adolescent Desk Officer at the board, said the week-long programme, which began on Oct. 13, would end on Oct. 19.
She said the activities were designed to create awareness among adolescents across the state on sexual and reproductive health, mental health, personal hygiene, menstrual hygiene and gender-based violence.
Zailani said the board selected the special education school because adolescents with disabilities were often excluded from health awareness programmes.
She explained that interactions with the students revealed knowledge gaps in menstrual hygiene and mental health, making targeted sensitisation necessary.
According to her, the programme aims to equip the students with information on personal hygiene and how to manage menstruation safely.
Zailani acknowledged concerns raised by students over inadequate water supply and other facilities in the school.
She said the board would refer the water challenge to its Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) unit for further attention by the relevant authorities.
The resource person, Amos Isuwa, Head of HIV Counselling and Testing at Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, Kaduna, said the state began the celebration with adolescents with disabilities to ensure their inclusion.
Isuwa, an adolescent and young people’s health consultant with the board, said the programme addressed gender-based violence, sexually transmitted infections, HIV, menstrual health and personal hygiene.
He said sign language interpretation was provided to ensure that students with hearing impairments understood the presentations and participated effectively.
Isuwa explained that the programme also addressed the health needs of adolescent boys, whom he said were sometimes overlooked in discussions about adolescent health.
He noted that adolescents with disabilities needed access to relevant information and opportunities to express their concerns without discrimination.
On mental health, Isuwa said children with disabilities could experience rejection, isolation and feelings of being unwanted, which could affect their emotional well-being.
He said such experiences could be intensified when family members or peers treated children with disabilities as burdens rather than including them in everyday activities.
According to him, the students’ questions about depression and social withdrawal showed the importance of helping them recognise possible mental health challenges among their peers.
He advised adolescents experiencing depression or isolation to speak out and seek guidance from trusted people who could help them access appropriate support.
Isuwa added that parents and other relevant people must be involved in addressing adolescents’ mental health needs.
Dr Joseph Yakubu, Senior Master Welfare at KADSSES, commended the organisers for bringing health education directly to the students.
Yakubu said the students participated actively and learnt practical ways to protect themselves against HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
He also praised the demonstration on sanitary pad use, saying it helped students understand menstrual hygiene practices.
Yakubu expressed hope that similar sensitisation programmes would be organised regularly to improve the students’ health knowledge and well-being.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the International Adolescent Health Week provides an opportunity to promote adolescent health, amplify young people’s voices and advance equitable access to essential health information and services.(NAN)
Edited by Yakubu Uba
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