EngenderHealth has initiated a new program in Nigeria to prevent and repair fistula and help fistula survivors reintegrate into society. Led by the ACQUIRE Project (of which EngenderHealth is managing partner), the program improves access to and use of high-quality fistula prevention and repair services and supports the reintegration of survivors into society, while promoting maternal health and family planning in northwestern Nigeria. The project will be supported by EngenderHealth’s new country office in Abuja, Nigeria.

By supporting five fistula facilities in Kano, Katsina, Zamfarah, Sokoto, and Kebbi, the program aims to improve the quality of fistula repair services and attract more women who need the surgery. Once healed, the women also receive assistance to reintegrate into society, including opportunities for job training. Such interventions are crucial, as many fistula survivors have been abandoned by their families or rejected by society.

EngenderHealth welcomes Iyeme Efem as Country Director for Nigeria and Chief of Party for the Nigeria Prevention, Repair, and Reintegration of Fistula Project. Mr. Efem has more than 20 years of experience in project development and management of sexual and reproductive health programs at the regional, national, and global levels. Until recently, Mr. Efem was the Deputy Chief of Party for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)–funded ENHANSE Project in Nigeria. Mr. Efem was also Country Director for the Child Survival GHANAQ Project and has worked as HIV/AIDS Program Coordinator for Plan International and as Program Coordinator of Community Health Initiatives for the Area Health Education Center in Dallas, Texas. He founded the Nigeria Youth AIDS Program, the first-ever youth-focused AIDS intervention project in Nigeria, in 1987, and served as its Project Manager until 1996.

Mr. Efem was also Country Director for the Child Survival GHANAQ Project, and he has worked as HIV/AIDS Program Coordinator for Plan International and as Program Coordinator of Community Health Initiatives for the Area Health Education Center in Dallas, Texas.

EngenderHealth is the managing partner of the ACQUIRE Project (which stands for Access, Quality, and Use in Reproductive Health), a five-year global cooperative agreement supported by USAID. ACQUIRE works globally to advance and support the availability, quality, and use of facility-based reproductive health and family planning services at every level of the health care system and to strengthen links between facilities and communities.