LifeFunders for Month: June 2015

The Crisis

Nigeria is currently under the assault of big-pharma – dangerous contraceptive drugs are being forced on women at all public medical centers and many private ones. Nigerian women are given these drugs without any education on the risk to their health or any counseling on alternative options to these chemicals.

In April 2016, Natural Womanhood was approached by Doctors Health Initiative (DHI), a Lagos-based nonprofit organization created by a group of medical professionals who share a passion for healthcare that honors and respects women.  They have witnessed how “government clinics automatically give hormonal contraceptives to any woman of child bearing age once she has had a baby. They make it practically impossible to use anything but the hormonal contraceptives which are free.”

You can read about it here and here and watch the video above to learn more about the project from Dr. Oludolapo Akinjo. MBBS, MSc, their Vice-President. 

The Plan

Here is how Natural Womanhood plans to work with Doctor Health Initiative to counter this onslaught on young Nigerian women and their families. It is two-fold:

– Raise Awareness: We need to raise awareness of the dangers of contraceptives and the effectiveness of NFP. Our goal is to 1) supply 10,000+ informational brochures and 2) distribute our documentary film, Natural Love Stories (DVDs) through Doctor Health Initiative’s well-connected networks.

– Train NFP Teachers: We have a goal to train 10 Doctor Health Initiative teachers: 5 in the FEMM ovulation method and 5 in the Couple Beads methods so that couples will have a choice on evidence-based, effective methods – giving them alternatives to contraceptives. We estimate that this team can train up to 10,000 couples within 12-18 months. Donations will directly go from Natural Womanhood to these US-Based organizations to fund the training. 

The Budget

Our budget includes: Training (10 teachers) – $6,500; Marketing Materials (1,000+ educational brochures) – $2,000

 

If we can raise more, we will train more teachers and increase our marketing efforts.

 

The Impact

How your support makes a huge impact:

– You will be directly affecting the protection of vulnerable women from potentially life-threatening contraceptives. For example, Depo-Provera, manufactured by Pfizer, is commonly delivered for free in clinics in Lagos. This drug has an FDA Black box warning because it causes bone thinning. But there is no FDA in Nigeria to warn women. Published research also shows that its use is associated with an increased risk of HIV. Other known risks from hormonal contraceptives are blood clots and breast cancer. Women are not told about these problems by the medical system.

– You are giving vulnerable women an alternative to contraceptives, allowing them the education to plan their family. NFP is true health education – It will help them postpone a pregnancy or achieve a pregnancy. Women in Nigeria actually welcome this method when they become aware of it and when the education is made available to them. 

– This is your chance to counter this cultural revolution of reproductive medicine that will result in harming families and children. The culture of Nigeria remains very open to children and the family. Contraception can seriously affect the family culture and put many lives at risk.

 

Every dollar you invest ensures over 10 women will be educated on the dangers of contraceptives and one couple will be educated on how to use NFP.

 

On Behalf of Natural Womanhood and Doctors Health Initiative, we thank you for your generosity.