Ngozi Iwere: Difference between revisions

{{notability|date=December 2023}}

'''Ngozi Iwere''', an [[Ashoka Fellow]] since 1996, is pioneering a comprehensive community-based approach to [[HIV/AIDS]] prevention in [[Nigeria]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Iwere |first=Ngozi |title=Ngozi Iwere is the first in Nigeria to develop a model program for HIV/AIDS prevention that targets and involves the entire community instead of focusing on small high-risk target populations. Read more |url=https://www.ashoka.org/en-us/fellow/ngozi-iwere |access-date=December 2, 2023 |website=Ashoka}}</ref> Unlike traditional methods focusing solely on high-risk groups, Iwere's model involves the entire community, recognizing that everyone is at risk. Her [https://www.macfound.org/grantee/community-life-project-16080/ Community Life Project] collaborates with local networks like hair salon unions, marketplaces, and schools to disseminate prevention and treatment information effectively.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Olawale |first=Ronke |date=November 9, 2019 |title=GLOBAL FEMINISMS COMPARATIVE CASE STUDIES OF WOMEN'S ACTIVISM AND SCHOLARSHIP |url=https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/globalfeminisms/wp-content/uploads/sites/787/2020/10/Iwere_Nigeria_Annotated_Final-.pdf. |access-date=October 22, 2023 |website=lsa umich}}</ref> This innovative strategy challenges the prevalent expert-driven, top-down public health communication, opting instead for a community-driven approach. Iwere's work, especially in her hometown of Isolo, includes organizing focus groups, educational workshops, and collaborative events with various community segments.<ref name=":1" /> <ref name=":0" /> This model not only addresses HIV/AIDS but also other health concerns identified by the community, such as STDs and family planning. Born in 1956 and having faced the adversities of the [[Nigerian civil war]] and rural poverty, Iwere's background in language teaching, journalism, and activism shapes her effective community organizing skills. Her belief in community empowerment and her role as a catalyst for awakening creative energy in communities underpin this groundbreaking project in Nigerian public health.<ref name=":0" />