Beauty queen launches campaign against VVF in North – Daily Trust
November 18, 2009 by Bunmi Awolusi
Parents have been advised to avoid giving out their underage daughters in marriage to check cases of Vesico Virginal Fistula (VVF) which is common in Northern Nigeria.
The Queen of Aso 2009 Miss Jennifer Uju Igwegbe gave the advice in Abuja yesterday during a visit to the corporate headquarters of Media Trust. Miss Igwegbe whose office is organizing a national sensitization campaign on VVF in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and NTA International on Friday December 4 2009, said she chose the VVF campaign as a pet project because of her ardent desire to help give better life to the girl-child and sensitise people on the dangers of under age marriage and the effects of VVF.
She said as a result of the prevalence of the disease in the north, the project would first target the 19 northern states with Bauchi, Kano, Kebbi, Niger and Zamfara as the initial target states.
“VVF is a very silent disease because of the stigma attached to it, once a young girl is married and gets it, there is always the danger of their husbands leaving them for other wives. We want to sensitize people on the dangers and let victims know that’s not the end of life. Victims should try as much as possible to access medical care to get back their lives, parents should not give out their kids for marriage, it’s like destroying the child”, she said. Jennifer said statistics derived from the campaign in the aforementioned states would be used in inputs to help check the disease across the country. According to her, first lady, Hajia Turai Yar’adua is expected to be the mother of the day with a key note address by Health Minister Prof. Babatunde Oshotimehin, while Commissioners for Health and Women Affairs from various states as well as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on MDGs Hajia Amina Mohammed Zubair are also to attend. Twenty-one year old Jennifer is a 200 Level Law student in the University of Abuja. Experts say VVF is an abnormal connection between the bladder and vagina. It is caused by injury to the urinary tract, basically occurring during labour. The disease is known to cripple women both socially and physically. Jennifer appealed to government and well-meaning organisations to assist her campaign to succeed for the benefit of the girl-child.
