War against barriers hindering women’s health, inclusion

From Taiwo Oluwadare, Ibadan

Community leaders, traditional rulers and health stakeholders in Ona-Ara Local Government, Oyo State, have pledged to remove cultural and social barriers limiting women’s participation in leadership, community development and access to healthcare.

The commitment was made during an engagement on Equity and Inclusion as it pertains to Women, organised by the Martins Lydia Foundation (MLF) at Ladunta, Ibadan.

The programme, facilitated by the Executive Director of MLF, Oloruntosin Taiwo, brought together traditional rulers, women leaders, healthcare personnel, traditional birth attendants, religious leaders, youth representatives, community-based organisations and other stakeholders.

Taiwo emphasised that women’s inclusion was not only a matter of social justice but also essential to improving community health outcomes.

She noted that women play central roles in family health, childcare and household wellbeing, stressing that excluding them from community decision-making could negatively affect the design and implementation of health interventions.

“When women are included in planning, budgeting, and leadership, our markets grow, our children stay in school, and our health outcomes improve. Equity and inclusion of both genders will deliver growth and development to our communities,” she said.

The MLF advocacy team also addressed concerns raised by some male participants who argued that leadership was traditionally a male responsibility and questioned women’s capacity for decision-making.

The facilitators explained that gender equity did not mean replacing men but ensuring that both men and women had opportunities to contribute to decisions affecting their families and communities.

They further highlighted the connection between women’s empowerment and improved access to healthcare, particularly maternal and child health services, reproductive health information and community-based health programmes.

Chief Nursing Officer in Ifewumi, Madam Abbey Adesola, described the programme as “interesting and educating,” saying the enlightenment would help both genders understand the importance of giving women greater priority in society.

The Iyaloja of Ona-Ara LG, Chief Mariamo Salau, also commended MLF for organising the programme.

She said the engagement had provided useful lessons on women’s conduct, leadership and their roles in society and matrimonial homes.

Babaloja of Ogbere, Idi Osan, Chief Lawal Arowolo, said the programme would promote better understanding between men and women and encourage peaceful coexistence.

He pledged to take the lessons from the engagement back to his community for further enlightenment.

Stakeholders pledged to ensure that women’s voices were heard during community meetings, support women’s access to leadership positions in associations and challenge cultural practices that restrict women’s participation.

They also agreed that stronger collaboration among traditional institutions, healthcare workers, women’s groups and community organisations was necessary to improve health awareness and healthcare support at the grassroots.

Participants described the engagement as “eye-opening” and called for follow-up activities to monitor the implementation of the commitments.