The NYSC Ondo State Coordinator, Mrs. Victoria Nnenna Ani has challenged the corps members to avail their host communities with impactful and life touching programmes.
Mrs. Ani threw the challenge at members of the service corps in her goodwill message during the sensitisation and training programme on sexual reproductive health rights held recently.
The programme tagged 'Corps members sexual reproductive health rights sensitisation' was held at the NYSC Zonal Office, Oda Road, Akure, the state capital.
The State Coordinator who was represented by the Zonal Inspector, Akure Zone, Mr. Francis Oladele Adebayo told no fewer than 700 corps members that the society is looking up to them for adequate information and necessary knowledge about health and reproductive issues.
The NYSC Ondo State boss said that corps members, because of their level of education and exposure are better equipped to handle such delicate and sensitive campaign.
Speaking during the sensitsation, the President of the Corps Peer Education Trainers (C-Pets), corps member Onuorah Nkemjika stressed the need to reduce AIDS related death and avoid stigmatisation and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS.
Corps member Nkemjika said that during her early childhood, she grew up in a neighbourhood where she saw a lot of young girls not up to 18 years old being sexually harassed and molested.
"So, I developed a passion to be creating awareness particularly to young girls on sexual reproductive health rights, because most of these girls that are being harassed and molested lack orientation and awareness to say no".
"It is a personal passion that I was able to share with my CDS group and because of their experience, we were able to groom it to a group project".
"As we speak, over 700 corps members have benefitted from this programme. The beneficiaries now know that they don't stand alone in the sight of sexual reproductive health rights. They have additionally benefited from the free HIV test".
"Part of our target is to inform them and part of it is for them to be knowledgeable about their HIV status as well as receiving care and counselling. This is not the standing point for this sensitsation and training, we are still hoping to reach out to communities, schools and other avenues as possible".
She said that there has been dearth of visible, in-depth mainstream attention to sexual and reproductive health and rights in relation to HIV/AIDS and promised to extend the awareness to citizens and residents of the Sunshine State.
Contributing, the representative of Ondo State Agency for the Control of AIDS (ODSACA), Bukky Adegbulu advised the members of the service corps to abstain from casual sex and embrace the preventive measures that they have been exposed to.
She disclosed that ODSACA will continue to support the campaigns and sensitisation that have direct impact and which is beneficial to all and sundry in the society.
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