Aisha Buhari urges Africans to stop stigmatising infertile women
Nigeria’s First Lady Aisha Muhammadu Buhari has urged Africans to change their perception of women’s infertility as an abnormal condition and also desist from attaching stigma to women having the condition.
She said infertility can be addressed through medical healthcare and modern science.
Aisha spoke in Accra, Ghana on Tuesday, where she was an Ambassador and Special Guest of Honour at the Sixth Edition of the “MERCK AFRICA – ASIA LUMINARY/ MORE THAN A MOTHER INITIATIVE conference for African First Ladies.
The initiative, which was co-chaired, by Rebecca Akufo-Addo, the First Lady of Ghana and Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation was attended by President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana.
Over 20 African First Ladies and Ministers of Health, Gender, and Education from fifty eight countries around the world with majority coming from Africa also attended the event.
Aisha Buhari took part in the High Level Panel of the African First Ladies that discussed the challenges of “Building Healthcare Capacity” in the African Continent.
The panel also brought to the fore issues, challenges and solutions of breaking the stigma around women living with infertility.
She shared with her audience the Nigerian Infertile Women’s experience and what she had done and is still doing through her foundation Aisha Buhari Foundation and pet project Future Assured to help curb the stigmatization, depression and abuse, as well as bring awareness, access to information, health, and ultimately change of mind-sets.
Aisha Buhari’s priority since her husband came to office has been the health and well-being of the Nigerian Women and Children.
Through her foundation, she had built and donated two functional Women Hospitals to two out of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones with plans to reach the remaining four geopolitical zones soon.
She informed the panel that women in these zones now have the comfort of these hospitals for their healthcare that includes care for the special group of women facing infertility challenges with the right counselling among others.
Aisha also recalled that in fulfilment of her promise made at the launch of “MERCK MORE THAN A MOTHER INITIATIVE” two years ago, she had empowered many women across Nigeria on income generating ideas through provision of skills acquisition, and grant of seed capital for micro and small businesses.
The Aisha Buhari Foundation had also identified and empowered more than 200 infertile Women within this period, offering them medical treatment for fertility and providing them with counselling.
According to statement sent to The DEFENDER by Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the First Lady, Mallam Aliyu Abdullahi, Aisha was accompanied to the event by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Women Affairs and Administration, Dr. Hajo Sani, Director General of National Centre for Women Development (NCWD), Barr. Mary Ekpere Eta, and others.
