Nkasi Obim Nebo (PhD) was recently named Nigeria’s winner for the Commonwealth Points of Light Award by Her Majesty, The Queen of the United Kingdom.
Points of Light are outstanding individual volunteers – people who are making a change in their community. Every weekday, the Prime Minister recognises an inspirational volunteer with the Daily Point of Light award.
UK Points of Light was developed in partnership with the US programme and launched in the Cabinet Room at 10 Downing Street in April 2014.
Since then, hundreds of people have been named Points of Light by the Prime Minister, highlighting an enormous array of innovative and inspirational volunteering across the length and breadth of Britain.
“I am greatly honoured and so touched to receive the Commonwealth Points of Light Award in recognition of my work. To see that every pregnancy is by choice; that every woman has access to clean and safe childbirth void of infections and bleeding; that every girl child has access to a hygienic menstrual supply is where my motivation comes from.
I am dedicating this award to all my incredible colleagues at ‘PeachAid Medical Initiative’: they are midwives, doctors, pharmacists, radiographers, lab scientists. The many hours they put into this work, irrespective of where we go to, is the reason we are saving many lives and achieving results. We will not stop until we’ve reached every vulnerable young girl, and every pregnant mother in the rural communities across Nigeria with our life-saving services.”
Nkasi is a Maternal Health Advocate and a humanitarian worker experienced in reproductive health and family planning. She believes that no woman should die while giving life and that every pregnancy should be by choice, and well planned. She is the Founder/Director of PeachAid Medical Initiative.
PeachAid Medical Initiative (PMI), is a community based humanitarian Organisation, fully registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (RC 80566), and the Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria. They were established in July 2015. Their work is centred on reproductive health and family planning (their thematic areas).
They distribute menstrual cups to women who are internally displaced and cannot afford pads and tampons. They conduct free antenatal care services to give every pregnant mother in the poor rural community access to at least 1 antenatal care visit, even though about 4 or more is recommended throughout pregnancy by WHO. This service gives mothers the opportunity to see their babies in the womb, and know their sex and present conditions.
They distribute birthing kits so every woman will have a safe and clean delivery wherever they decide to give birth, without bleeding to death.
They train local birth attendants extensively; advancing their knowledge on maternal issues and afterwards, set up a channel that monitors their activities. They also create access to an unlimited supply of different types of contraceptives.
Their aim is to help reduce the high rate of maternal death at the rural communities and Internally Displaced Person Camps (IDPs) by bringing health closer to the people in these communities. They also aim at improving both the standard of reproductive health care service delivery and access to contraceptives options at the Primary Healthcare level in rural communities across Nigeria.
In this space, she oversees all the projects carried out at PMI. She works to continually develop an effective distribution line that will see women in rural communities’ access their lifesaving supplies, irrespective of their location at childbirth.
So far, she has reached about thirty-seven thousand (37,000) women and over 4,000 men and has connected with about four hundred (400) traditional birth attendants since the year 2015. Her work has been further developed through more than a decade of engaging in medical intervention activities. She has a Doctorate degree in Healthcare Ministry, and other professional certificates in Emergency Medical Services, Epidemiology, emergency obstetric and newborn care, immunization essential, and maternal survival.
