CCT: How beneficiaries bought ambulance for safe childbirth in Jigawa community

By Muhammad Fagge

In what could be described as a prudent and effective way of utilizing Conditional Cash Transfer scheme (CCT) , women in Bardo, a community in the Taura Local Government area of northwestern Jigawa State bought a vehicle to help themselves out of the prolonged delivery that could cause maternal mortality or diseases such as Obstetric Vaginal Fistula.

In a 3:29 minute-long video clip obtained by Solacebase, the women, who are the beneficiaries of the CCT, bought a Golf 3 wagon car, with an inscription that reads “Haihuwa Lafiya”, meaning, safe delivery to serve as an ambulance used to evacuate women to hospital for safe childbirth.

Solacebase reports that the CCT is a programme introduced by the  Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, designed to benefit poor and vulnerable households with a monthly stipend of N5,000.

The beneficiaries also receive training as well as financial and technical support to start small businesses.

However, in a wise effort to help themselves, the beneficiaries, after a painstaking move, decided to contribute N1,000 monthly in a bid to purchase a vehicle for pregnant women in labour.

Speaking in the video, one of the leaders of the beneficiaries, Halima Adamu Bardo, said they sat down and think of how to utilize the fund judiciously, that is why they unanimously agreed on providing a vehicle to be evacuating pregnant women to hospital for safe childbirth.

According to her “When this fund came, we sat down and think of what to do with it. We all agreed to buy a vehicle to help our daughters out who are having difficulty accessing the hospital during labour as most of us are in our menopause.

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“We then called our male counterparts to intimate them about our decision. They collectively welcomed the idea. We then decided to be contributing N1,000 each from the next payment. We directed the leaders among us, who are up to 21, to be collecting the money from each of the beneficiaries.

” To God be the glory, we successfully raised N420,000. In the subsequent payment, we raised another N420, 000, making it N840,000.

“So we have an association at Wambai area. We intimated them on the issue and presented the money we had raised. They backed it up with N160, 000 to make the money N1,000,000.

“On the same day, the vehicle was purchased. Jubilation erupted when the car was brought in the community. All of us women converged at this palace to celebrate the coming of the vehicle,” she said.

Mrs Adamu further stated that the community had never had such a life-changing effort, noting that the people had become modernized in the community.

“That is why we greet any announcement of the similar empowerment with elation in the community. The moment the District Head announced it, jubilation would follow around the whole village,”

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In his remarks, Alasan Haruna, District Head, Bardo village appreciated the efforts of the minister for the introduction of CCT, which according to him, had helped women in his village to solve one of the biggest problems bedevilling the community.

“I welcomed the idea when they brought it to me. I was very happy with the initiative. I told them that they have done what is needed and commended them for that effort.

” We must commend the Federal Government for this humanitarian gesture. We have to thank President Muhammadu Buhari and Minister Sadiya Faruk for coming to our rescue,” he said.