Worried by the nonchalant attitude towards the Essential Family Practices (EFP) by most families in society and the urgent need to adopt a better method/strategy to ensure strict compliance, the NOA/UNICEF has designed what it described as Theatre For Development (TFD).
TFD is a progression from less interactive theatre forms to a more dialogical process, where the theatre is practiced with the people or by the people as a way of empowering communities, listening to their concerns, and then encouraging them to voice and solve their own problems.
While addressing the people of Avonkwu autonomous community, Olokoro, Umuahia South L.G.A, Abia State, during one of the community engagements on EFP through TFD and community dialogue programme, planned for thirty-six communities in three local government areas (Umuahia South, Ugwunagbo and Ohafia) of the three senatorial districts, the Abia State NOA boss, Ngozi Uduma, said TFD as a participatory theatre practice allows communities to write their own stories and perform in a drama based on the messages that emerge from the storytelling process.
She disclosed that through TFD, communities would get involved on issues concerning essential family practices, benefits of ante-natal and post-natal services, child labor, and trafficking, among others.
Uduma said that focused ante-natal service, at least four times before child birth could go a very long way to saving both the mother and the child from health hazards, death, and other complicating issues as regards to child birth.
She reminded the community of the benefits of EFP and the healthy benefits of exclusive breast-feeding of a child, disclosing that exclusive breastfeeding saves money and protects the child from many communicable diseases.
In a health talk, Blessing Ochiabuto, the Umuahia South health educator, touched on the benefits of child immunization; exclusive breastfeeding; personal hygiene, sanitation/proper hand wash; dangers of self-medication and the use of hard drugs.
She hinted that excessive ingestion of hard drugs could render useless the bright ambition and vision of the youths, who would, in turn, constitute a nuisance in the community.
Ochiabuto informed the gathering that malaria now poses the highest threat to human existence as it is the highest killer of children under five years of age.
She called on them to visit the primary health care centers around them, get and sleep under a mosquito-treated net and go for diagnosis when ill.
Eze Peter Odoemenam, the traditional ruler of Avonkwu autonomous community, in his speech during the occasion, commended NOA/UNICEF for the approaches used so far to sensitize/educate so many communities on essential family practices and exclusive breastfeeding.
The monarch appealed to the villagers to always visit the community health care centre whenever the need arises and strive to imbibe the habit of healthy living.
