Public health nursing outreach programs in Nigeria
1. Aging Health Services: Enugu-South East
Aging with Grace Health Services (AWIG) Nigeria puts a smile on the faces of Nigerian Seniors! Many older persons in rural, urban Nigerian villages and cities experience negative stereotypes, various forms of neglect, abuse and abandonment. Nigeria has no functional ageing-friendly policies, or services to combat elderly maltreatment. Many aging persons have no retirement benefits, and those that have retired are denied their well-deserved gratuity and pension by the government. There are no social security systems, and there is a lack of trained professional caregivers.
Many of the elderly men and widowers die early from lack of support. Children and relatives of the old people, in search of ‘greener pastures’ in towns and cities get busy trying to make ends meet and skip making regular contacts, checking in or visiting their aged parents and loved ones.
In the South East Nigeria especially, but not exclusively, insecurity is increasingly becoming a challenge. Elders in our various villages and localities stand at risk of being kidnapped as they go around their local environment that they are used to. Gory stories of loved ones that are kidnapped and tortured in captivity is common. Children, especially those who live outside the shores of the country, often live in daily fear and many have had to pay huge sums of money as ransom or risk losing their parents to senseless murder.
AWIG, a Public Health Nurse-led initiative established in 2017 is committed to providing home health care to seniors, and retired citizens in their own private homes. AWIG's compassionate staff provide top-notch personal, companion, skilled, transitioning, respite, nutritional and 24-hour rapid response services. AWIG also offers internationally accredited caregiving certification and internship opportunities using evidence-based training curriculum.
For more information about AWIG services and Trainings, https://awighealth.com/.
2. Child Health Services: Akwa Ibom-South-South
In 2010, I went to Nigeria for the first time with a team of college students under the mentorship of Dr. Assumpta Ude, Founder of a non-profit community health organization that serves various communities on the continent of Africa. https://www.isabbio.org/ That first medical mission trip to Africa changed my life. We went to orphanages, community clinics, and facilitated rural village medical outreach programs in 5 different states across Nigeria. In 2018, after several medical outreach trips to Nigeria with Dr. Assumpta Ude and her team, I launched the Be Well Foundation (BWF) with the mission to improve the well-being of under-served children through BWF WaSH (water, sanitation and hygiene) project initiatives. In February 2018, BWF installed the first water well system for the Priesthood Children’s Compassion Orphanage in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. By June 2019, BWF rebuilt the Priesthood Orphanage providing more than 30 orphans with safe and habitable housing.
Our latest project was at the St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary school in the town of Ikono in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria that serves more than 200 students. Over the years, BWF donated school supplies, hundreds of custom-made uniforms and installed a water well system for the school. In December 2022, we replaced a two-stall pit toilet outhouse that the school previously used with a brand new 5 stall water-based toilet facility for the staff and students.
Thank you, Dr. Mrs. Assumpta Ude for your passion and leadership that inspired me to serve in-need communities on a global level! I’m excited for the work that we have accomplished so far, and look forward to changing the lives of many in the years to come
Learn more about this Nurse led orphanage care at https://wearebewell.org/
Idara Inokon, dual certified family and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner
3. Clean Water Services: Edo State - Midwest
Heart for Villagers is a non-profit community health nursing project that
provides clean drinking water through borehole water systems in rural areas of Edo state Nigeria.
Pre - Borehole installation: Villagers got their water for drinking, cooking, washing, and bathing from the river and travelled about 2 kilometers or more depending on their destination. They washed their clothes and bathed in the same water that was collected for drinking.
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