The Women Network for Development has educated no fewer than 130 pregnant women and lactating mothers on basic prenatal and postnatal care.

WONDEV, in collaboration with SAM Empowerment Foundation, carried out the exercise on Sunday in the Kpaduma 2 community of Gusape district, Abuja.

The exercise doubles as medical outreach–the women were given medical essentials, mini birthing kits and grain hampers–to improve their health and that of their babies.

Grace Niniola, the national project director, said the exercise was done under the project ‘Ciyar da Farko’, which entailed prenatal and postnatal care for women in the Hausa language.

According to her, WONDEV has been in existence for about two decades, doing programmes on women and children empowerment, education, technology drives and behavioural advocacies in Kaduna, Benue, Kogi and Plateau.

She said her NGO saw the need to organise exercise for women, especially with the economic hardship, high cost of medications, and the ongoing strike by primary healthcare centres in Abuja.

She reiterated WONDEV’s interest in empowering women, saying that it was not just a goal but a necessity that must be accomplished.

Idoko Silas, programme assistant for WONDEV, commended the turnout of the women for the programme, saying that it was so impressive and that the NGO was able to achieve its target.

Okechukwu Chibueze, the SEF programme manager, said the organisation was joining the medical outreach to use the avenue to commemorate the April 25 World Malaria Day.

He said malaria was a sickness that was predominant in Africa.

According to her, it is something that disturbs both the pregnant women and lactating mothers, and even the infant.

(NAN)