“Chidinma Onuoha is the Program Director and a founding member of DKT in Nigeria. Chidinma has contributed immensely in the development of the first dedicated family planning call center, and the introduction of DMPA-SC in the private sector.”

– Dimos Sakellaridis, Country Director at DKT International

Describe your contributions to and achievements in family planning.

I have been managing different social marketing programs that touch the lives of millions of women in Nigeria daily.

I recruited and supervised over 200 community health extension workers (CHEWs) during the introduction of DMPA SC in 7 southwest states. The CHEWs who operate as door-to-door salesmen carrying a rich basket of contraceptive products have provided FP counselling, products and services directly to more than 32,500 women in their homes, marketplaces, churches and slum communities. I set up and managed a toll-free quarterly reminder system which has helped over 29,000 women remember to go for their next DMPA SC injection.

My FP-focused articles have been published on blogs, newspapers and magazines reaching over 8.5 million people in Nigeria and beyond.

What sparked your passion for family planning?

It was a bloodied coat-hanger protruding from the vagina of a fourteen-year-old girl whose tragic death and image I couldn’t get out of my mind. In addition, the quote that, ‘women were dying not because of diseases that we couldn’t treat, but because societies have yet to make the important decision that their lives are worth saving’ propelled me to consistently seek for impactful ways that I can help women avoid the unfortunate path of becoming victims of unintended pregnancies.

Give one or two examples of how you display leadership in your family planning work.:

I am currently managing the first, dedicated, multi-lingual family-planning call center (55059) with the focus of providing non-judgmental responses to FP enquiries, generating clinic referrals to enable callers adopt an FP/ LARC method and managing expectations through ensuring that women achieve a satisfactory FP customer experience. Between August 2018 and May 2019, the call center has generated over 28,000 calls and responded to more than 12,000 text messages.

If you are named a winner of 120 under 40, how will you use this new platform and the $1000 grant to advance your work? 

I will establish a digital collaborative platform to provide FP information and empowerment messages to encourage women to take the lead for their well-being and contraceptive security and improve their lives especially with family planning! The focal message in my faith-based e-books; Abigail is not a bitch and Sex is not a strategy is that women should take the lead for their safety and build partnerships and support systems that work for them.

Video Introduction:

Photos of the nominee in the field/at work:

Publications/Articles:

• https://guardian.ng/features/maternal-mortality-and-shameful-statistics-stories-…
• https://guardian.ng/issue/why-are-10-5-million-nigerian-children-out-of-school/
• http://www.honeyandbanana.com/myths-misconceptions-mischief-maker/
• http://dktnigeria.org/no-mothers-day-for-thousands-in-nigeria/
• http://www.honeyandbanana.com/minor-habits-major-victories/