The TriHealthon Development Network
Inspired by Tom Wells’ speech at the 2018 WMI Dream Big Conference, Esther Ajari founded the TriHealthon, a youth and female led NGO (with legal registration number 172635) which seeks to improve the health and wellbeing of vulnerable populations in Africa, particularly women and children, via two direct programming initiatives in Nigeria and a continental-wide research initiative. These initiatives are:
- Sexual and Reproductive Health Dev initiative
- End Childhood Malnutrition and Diarrhea initiative
- Global Research initiative
Also, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we provided daily food supply and menstrual pads to marginalized Nigerians (orphans, pregnant and nursing mothers, the sick and the elders).
OUR OBJECTIVES
Sexual and Reproductive Health Dev Initiative
- Train adolescent girls to make their own reusable and biodegradable menstrual sanitary pads using cheap, local and easily accessible materials
- Distribute female-controlled contraceptives
- Empower adolescents with comprehensive sexuality education
- Guide vulnerable people through the practice of mindfulness meditation to help them combat SRH-related mental disorders
End Childhood Malnutrition and Diarrhea Initiative
- Empower women of childbearing age with information on:
- Proper breastfeeding techniques
- The importance of exclusive breastfeeding
- How to combine cheap, local and easily accessible food items in order to derive maximum nutrition
- Diseases associated with childhood malnutrition and diarrhea
- Monitoring of the nutrition and dehydration state of children
- How to maintain adequate nutrition in pregnancy
- Management of the nutrition status of HIV positive pregnant women and children
- Assist women of childbearing age in generating enough income to afford highly nutritious diets for their children by empowering them with:
- Access to farmlands
- Entrepreneurship skills
- Knowledge of novel agricultural practices
Global Research Initiative
- Consistently publish research findings on:
- Neglected health issues
- International health cooperation development
- Health issues in nations with low research and advocacy output.
3
Initiatives
6
Team Members
48
Volunteers
7
Projects Done
8
Awards Won
OUR VISION
By 2030, we hope to:
- End Childhood Malnutrition in Africa
- End period poverty in Africa
- End teenage pregnancy in Africa
- Increase the mental health indices of African girls and women by at least 100%
- Publish at least 100 high-impact research articles
OUR METHODOLOGY
- Choose a school, community, hospital, market or publication
- Target Location Penetration
- Grassroots mobilization
- Project Implementation
- Project Monitoring and Evaluation
- Project report Publication
- Using the lessons learned to improve future projects
PROBLEM STATEMENT A
In Africa, sufficient attention is not being given to “sensitive” health issues such as menstrual hygiene management, menstrual-related mental disorders, contraceptive needs and usage etc. Also, studies show that 2 in 3 African girls/women are period poor.
In fact, the UNICEF estimates that 1 in 10 African girls either skip school or drop out entirely due to lack of access to Menstrual Hygiene Management products and facilities.
Other effects of period poverty includes; disease predisposition, decreased self-esteem, mental disorders (e.g. anxiety, depression), decrease in achievement potential (in the school and workplace), and income reduction from missed work shifts.
In Africa, health workers have listed period poverty as the most demeaning, yet easily reversible, predicament affecting young women.
PROBLEM STATEMENT B
Diarrhoea, although preventable and treatable, is the second leading cause of death of under-five African children.
Furthermore, the UNICEF reported that malnutrition is the direct or underlying cause of 45 percent of mortality of under-five children globally and Africa has the highest burden, with a prevalence of over 32 percent.
Diarrhoea and malnutrition also cause childhood morbidity by decreasing immunity levels.
Lack of access to highly nutritious foods, especially in the present context of rising food prices, is a common cause of malnutrition.
Also, poor feeding practices, such as inadequate breastfeeding, wrong feeding technique, and wrong food combination are causes of childhood malnutrition.