Day: December 28, 2022

The Extended Hands Foundation, a non-governmental organisation with sponsorship from NNPC/SNEPCo completed the successful repair of 35 Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) patients in Kebbi State. The pool effort took place at the Ministry of Women Affairs & Social Development VVF Center in Gesse, Birin-Kebbi and received the co-operation of the Kebbi State Government.

Led by the founder Stephanie Linus, the Extended Hands Foundation team was received by the Governor of the state Dr. Abubakar Bagudu and the First Lady Dr. Zainab Bagudu. They both paid visits to the women at the VVF Center, showing their support for the cause. All the repairs have been completed successfully and the women are recovering well.

Stephanie Linus, who spent some time with the women at the VVF Center during the course of the exercise, expressed her appreciation to the sponsors of the pool effort – NNPC/SNEPCo for investing in this cause. She also added that this was the second time the foundation was carrying out such an exercise in Kebbi state.

The team of medical staff was led by Dr Sa’ad Idris, a seasoned VVF Surgeon and former Commissioner for Health in Zamfara State with over 20 years experience in the field. He was assisted by Dr Abubakar Bawa and other doctors and nurses at the VVF Center. Against the backdrop of her Child Bride and Fistula advocacy movie, DRY, Stephanie Linus has been taking the message of restoration and hope to real women suffering from VVF. This pool effort goes a long way to show that DRY is more than just a movie, but a tool for touching the lives of women actually living with this condition.

Raising more awareness in our communities has been acknowledged as critical to the elimination of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). This is why the Extended Hands Foundation with support from Ford Foundation took its activism to local schools and communities across Lagos State.

The benefitting communities included Agbado Oke-Odo LCDA and Shogunle LCDA while the school outreach took place at Greensprings Schoolsbin.

Nollywood screen diva and founder of Extended Hands Foundation, Ambassador Stephanie Linus, noted that awareness raising is key to spreading a clear message of zero tolerance of all forms of violence within our communities.

“With a rise of domestic violence cases around us, there is urgent need for engaging local communities to address the root causes of SGBV to bring effective behavior and social norms change,” she emphasised.