Covid-19 Pandemic, Livelihood and Coping Strategies in Nigeria (Published)
In a few months of COVID-19 pandemic, millions of people were hit by the deadly virus which claimed a lot of lives worldwide, including Nigeria. The Federal Government declared total lockdown of outdoor economic activities, institutions, ceremonies, religious activities and gave a stay at home order to prevent the spread of the deadly virus in the country. This declaration made life difficult for the masses. The livelihood of Nigerians appeared to have been adversely affected by the pandemic. This seemed to make it very hard for people to improve their economic powers. The populace faced challenges in coping with the pandemic in the 36 States of the country. Hence, this paper looked at the concept of COVID-19 pandemic; household livelihoods; challenges from the pandemic; impact of COVID-19 on Girls and Women; copping strategies for the effects of the pandemic. The theory underpinning this study is the motivational instinct theory of survival. The researcher employed secondary data from existing literature from dailies, journals, libraries and text books to source information. The study discovered that the livelihood of people was adversely affected by the circumstances of the pandemic as a result of the hardship caused by government’s restrictions. Several households relied heavily on government cash relief and food handouts for survival. It was recommended that there should be more intervention strategies for resilience against such shocks in future. Actions should be taken to limit more risk, struggling of households and their livelihoods in urban and rural areas of the country.
Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, Coping, Livelihood, Strategies., households
Implications on Female Genital Cutting and Promotional Strategies by the Pokot Community in the Context of FGC (Published)
According to FORWARD (2005), data presented in a Female Genital Fact Sheet indicated that Female Genital Cutting (FGC) is traditionally carried out by elderly women ‘specialized’ in this task and Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA) – usually without anaesthetics and with crude instruments such as razor blades, knives and broken shards of glass. This paper looks into the health implications of female genital cutting in west Pokot community and further identifies the promotional health strategies adopted by the community during the process. The study was carried out in Sook location of West Pokot District of West Pokot County. This area was randomly selected out of the four locations in the District. A descriptive cross-sectional, qualitative research design was used for the study. Interviews and focus group discussions were used to collect data. The study considered 63 participants for interviews, all above 18 years, 9 key informants and 54 members of 7 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with between 6-10 participants of each group. The study identified demerits of the FGC practice as predisposition of girls to infections like HIV/AIDS, bleeding, though most participants said this could result from other reasons like witchcraft. Incompletion of education was also said to be one of the demerits of the FGC. Affirmation of community identity and promotion of positive aspects of culture which boosts self esteem in the community while preventing physical and psychological harm to women and girls should be advocated for through alternative rituals and Cultural day initiatives.
Keywords: Detrimental, Female Genital Cutting (FGC), Health, Implications, Promotion, Strategies.