By Bimbo Ogunnaike
Marie Stopes International Organisation Nigeria (MSION), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO),, has disclosed the organisation reached seven million women with family planning services in 10 years in Nigeria.
MSION Director ion Nigeria, Effiom Effiong, made this disclosure in Abuja at a gala night on Thursday to mark the organisation’s 10th anniversary in the country.
“The contact numbers are 0800-00-22252 (toll-free ), 22252 (charges apply) and WhatsApp/SMS 0908-00-22252,” he said.
“Our mission is to ensure that families and women have children by choice, not chance.Our vision is to create a world in which every birth is wanted. We believe in a world where every mother can enjoy a wanted and healthy pregnancy and childbirth; every child can survive beyond their fifth birthday,” he said.
Effiom, therefore, called on the media and well-informed Nigerians to help in educating women that children should be choice, not chance.
“Our population is growing, women will want family planning services, if we are able to meet every woman that needs contraceptive commodities, we will be able to manage our growth, ” he said.
Effiom called on government and international partners to invest more in the area of family planning services, noting that sex education was a right that must be afforded to every girl child.
He explained that the role of mothers was very important as they are the first point of contact with children, adding that if parents do not play their part properly, the different media will give them the information.
Marie Stores International Country Director, Ms Sue Holland, who said that family planning was the smallest programme in Nigeria, added that the organisation had done a lot in the country in the area of family planning services.
According to her, MSION is an active participant in the SRH sector in Nigeria, a key trusted implementing partner of the Federal and States Ministries of Health.
It was gathered that awards were given to people who played important roles during the period of review.
With headquarters in London, MSION is part of the Marie Stopes International Global Partnership, a social enterprise which operates in more than 37 countries across the globe, providing contraception and safe abortion services.
Its mission is to ensure that families and women have children by choice, not by chance.
