ABOUT PAC-NET
PAC-Net Women’s Health and Youth Development Initiative is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization in Nigeria, of multi-disciplinary membership – individuals, organizations and concerns, interested in the promotion of women’s health through maternal mortality reduction and protection of women’s sexual and reproductive right; caring for victims and would-be victims of abortion/miscarriage and its complications; and the promotion of youth development including the reproductive health of young persons.
HISTORY/ORIGIN
PAC-Net Women’s Health and Youth Development Initiative initially commenced as ‘‘PAC-Net’’, established by IPAS, an international agency with its headquarters in North Carolina, USA, in 1996. The term PAC-Net was derived as an acronym of ‘‘Post Abortion Care Network’’, but later assumed a co-operate nomenclature status, to reflect its increased scope of activities, covering several aspect of reproductive health and youth development.
PAC-Net initially commenced in four geopolitical zones in Nigeria, up till 2003 when the Southeast and Northeast zonal coordinates Units were established. Essentially, there was a national PAC-Net which had a con-federate status with the zonal branches. Each of the zonal PAC-Net was constituted of branches from the constituent states of the zone. The National, Zonal and State PAC-Net were all headed by coordinators.
Southeast PAC-Net ( SE-PAC-Net)
Southeast PAC-Net was made up of the branches from the five States of the southeast geopolitical zone of Nigeria – Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo States. Southeast zonal PAC-Net had a youth-wing, which was inaugurated in 2008 at Nnewi by the then IPAS Nigeria Country director – Dr. Ejike Oji. Since its inauguration, the youth-wing had organized several peer-group advocacy programs related to reproductive health and youth development in the constituent state of the zone.
The increasing activities of Southeast PAC-Net under its thematic areas and the necessity to assume international status to accommodate its expanding scope of reproductive health activities informed the need to register the network with the Cooperate Affairs Commission of Nigeria, in 2018, metamorphosing into the new name of ‘‘PAC-Net Women’s Health and Youth Development Initiative’’
AIM/GOAL
To promote, protect and uphold the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and young persons.
To promote youth empowerment and development
OBJECTIVES:
To promote maternal and child mortality reduction in Nigeria through Advocacy; Clinical Services; Training and Research;
To render reproductive health and post abortion care, including counselling and treatment of abortion/miscarriage complication;
To prevent unwanted pregnancy through family life education of women and youths, create awareness on the consequences of unsafe abortion and promote access to family planning including contraception;
To encourage healthcare providers’ partnership with communities in the provision of reproductive health services that meet the needs of the people;
To establish linkages with other reproductive healthcare providers for the promotion of women’s sexual and reproductive rights;
To conduct advocacy and training on reproductive health and rights;
To encourage youth development through capacity building of youths on leadership and reproductive health services.
To provide every necessary support and services that will improve the overall health and quality of life of people.
Thematic areas of action:
PAC-Net women’s Health and Youth Development Initiative carries out its activities under four (4) thematic areas:
Clinical Services: This involves post abortion care, family planning services and free antenatal care.
Research on issues related to reproductive health and rights.
Training on youth leadership, emergency obstetrics care, post abortion care including the use of manual vacuum aspirator, and other high impact obstetrics interventions etc.
Advocacy: To provide reproductive health information to members of the public including young persons.