NGO trains CSOs on HIV, TB, Malaria response in Benue

From Attah Ede, Makurdi

A Non Governmental Organization (NGO), Lawyers Alert in partnership with Media, Health and Rights Initiative of Nigeria (MHR) has organized a 2-day capacity strengthening workshop for  stakeholders in Benue State.

The workshop focuses on evidence-based advocacy towards addressing community rights and ending gender barriers in the treatment of TB, HIV and Malaria in Nigeria.

The workshop is to further equip participants including advocates, journalists, NGOs/CSOs/CBOs and healthcare providers to influence policy changes and promote inclusive healthcare systems that prioritize vulnerable groups like women and girls.

Addressing participants at the workshop, President of Lawyers Alert, Rommy Mom, emphasized the urgency of local and national action in sustaining TB and HIV treatments in the face of dwindling foreign aid.

“Would we keep closing our offices, closing our programs and allowing people to die? So, we need to find a way on the inside. How can Africa, how can Nigeria, how can Benue State begin to ensure that its people do not die if the West does not give us money?

“This is a serious issue, people are dying, people will not have drugs to take again – they are expensive, and people will not be able to afford it”, Mom stated.

He noted that the initiative is part of the Global Fund’s Gender Equality Fund (GEF) project titled ‘Law, Rights, and Community Empowerment for Social Change in TB, HIV, and Malaria Response.’ 

The president assured that Lawyers Alert would continue its broader commitment to advocating for equitable healthcare services in Nigeria, ensuring that everyone, regardless of their background can access the care they desire.

He urged participants, including representatives of Benue state government, to come out with ways to solve the financial crisis staring the country in the face.