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From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
CBM Global Disability Inclusion, the Benue State Government, and key partners have launched the Bridging the Gaps in Women’s Health and Wellbeing project to improve access to mental health, legal aid, and livelihood support for women and girls in rural communities.
The project targets survivors of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and women and girls with psychosocial disabilities to provide timely, safe, inclusive, and survivor-centred GBV-mental health prevention, response, and support services in Benue State.
At the launch on Tuesday, themed “Access Without Barriers: Reaching Women with Disabilities, Rural Women and Survivors of Exclusion” the Director General of the Benue State Bureau for International Cooperation and Development (BICD), Dr. Leonard-Angelo Viashima, described the initiative as deeply aligned with Governor Hyacinth Alia’s Seven-Point Agenda and his 2026 Budget of Rural Development.
“As a state, we are grateful to CBM Global and its donors, the Melinda French Gates Foundation, Hauwa Ojeifo Global Impact Fund for Women and Girls, and partners, Reconnect Health Development Initiative, Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation (GIFSEP) , and all other partners for coming together to drive this.
“But above all, we are quite excited that CBM Global is facilitating this project in Benue State. As a state government, we have created an enabling environment, and we are open to supporting this initiative to ensure that it succeeds and that our women, especially those in rural areas, benefit immensely from it.”
Viashima noted that the uniqueness of the project lies in its comprehensive approach to women’s health, adding “Women’s health cannot be approached from a medical perspective alone. The project therefore intends to address social factors such as agriculture, socio-economic empowerment, livelihoods, maternal and neonatal health, entrepreneurship and skill building.
“It is an all-encompassing initiative aimed at ensuring that women are empowered to take care of their health needs. Women should be able to access health insurance, earn livelihoods through farming or other activities, and be financially capable of meeting their healthcare needs,” he said.
He added that the presence of commissioners and representatives from different ministries at the launch underscores the multi-sectoral approach required for the success of the project.
Speaking to newsmen during the launch, the Country Director of Reconnect HDI, Chinee Iloabanafor said the organization will work closely with CBM Global and GIFSEP to implement the project and improve women’s access to mental health services.
“We are partnering with CBM Global and GIFSEP to carry out activities that will bridge the gap in women and children’s health. Women remain one of the most vulnerable groups in our communities. Whether we admit it or not, they face numerous challenges, particularly when it comes to accessing health services. That is why we must work deliberately to close these gaps,” she said.
Iloabanafor explained that one of the key activities of the project will involve mapping of services across the state, explaining that “This mapping will help us work with relevant ministries, including Justice, Humanitarian Affairs, and others to identify available services and strengthen referral systems.
“If services are not available, if referral pathways are weak, and if women and children do not know where to go for help, then interventions can not achieve much. Through this project, we want to coordinate efforts and ensure that within the next 12 months, the situation of the women we meet today will significantly improve,” she added.
Also speaking, the Programme Officer, CBM Global Disability Inclusion, Deborah Solomon said the initiative focuses on addressing the often-overlooked intersection between gender-based violence and mental health.
Solomon explained that the project will provide improved access to mental health services, legal aid support, and livelihood opportunities for women and girls with psychosocial disabilities.
“This project addresses critical gaps that are often overlooked, especially the link between gender-based violence and mental health challenges among women and girls with psychosocial disabilities.
“We are here to bridge that gap by strengthening access to mental health services, legal support and sustainable livelihood opportunities for these women,” Solomon said.
According to her, the project will adopt a rights-based and survivor-centred approach, empowering women and girls with psychosocial disabilities to advocate for their rights while also helping to reduce stigma and discrimination.
“We are not here to start something entirely new. Rather, we are here to strengthen existing systems through policy reforms, capacity building and sustainable livelihood initiatives,” she noted.
Solomon further disclosed that the project will initially be implemented in three local government areas of the state, including Katsina-Ala, Oju and Makurdi, covering ten communities, stating that the initiative will begin as a pilot programme with the possibility of expansion to other areas if it proves sustainable and impactful.
In her goodwill message, the Zonal Commander, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) Makurdi Zonal Command, Mrs Gloria Bai, said it is important to identify participants, especially among women and Persons with Disabilities, to bridge the gap by working towards referral pathways and reporting mechanisms for those rural areas to enable them to speak out.
She lauded the State Governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia for exhibiting a great sense of responsibility by his inclusion policies in the state, just as she hailed CBM Global for bringing to Benue a project to bridge the gaps in women’s health and wellbeing, saying the agency will contribute its quota to make it a success.
Other speakers, the State Commissioner for women Affairs, Mrs Theresa Ikwue expressed a strong commitment to addressing access to inclusive healthcare for women and girls in the state, especially those who have survived GBV.
The Director General of Benue State Sexual Assault Referral Centre (B-SARC), Linda Doris, represented by the Monitoring and evaluation officer, Benedict Ajene, said the organization works closely with survivors of sexual and GBV, and the event reinforces the importance of accessible, inclusive, and survivor-centred services.
He said, “Each time we talk about gender-based violence, our thoughts go first to the survivors; women and girls whose lives have been affected by violence, exclusion, and silence. But today alsooo reminds us of something important: access, who gets support, and whether that support truly meets their needs. Too often, survivors, especially those persons with psychosocial disabilities, face stigma, discrimination, and limited access to care. These barriers do not just delay support, they deepen vulnerability.”
He urged stakeholders to move beyond just providing services to ensuring that those services are inclusive, safe, and truly survivor-centred, adding “We cannot claim progress if the most vulnerable are left behind. This project is both timely and necessary. It calls for stronger collaboration and a shared commitment to ensuring that no woman or girl is excluded from care and support, because every survivor deserves not just to be heard, but to be supported, included, and given a real chance to heal and thrive.”
CBM Global is an international development organization that works alongside people with disabilities living in the world’s poorest places to fight poverty and exclusion and transform lives.
