A story of people taking control of their futures with contraception
The journey
7:03am. The unforgiving sun is already blazing. A Nigerian nurse in blue scrubs, her hair tied back, is packing equipment into a white Toyota 4×4, making sure her team has everything they need before they set out.
And the journey begins. Nurse Ifeoma – affectionately called ‘Ify’ by her team – stares out the window at the hectic, crowded roads where people are selling things, walking to work or school, zipping past on motorbikes, gathering at markets.
They keep driving.
Over time, the busy streets become increasingly empty, the smooth terrain surrenders to rust-red muddy ground. Manoeuvring around large potholes, rises and dips, the car is jolting and everyone inside it is being tossed around.
As Ify holds on to the door to steady herself, she looks outside at several children around six or seven years old, pumping water into buckets at a community water well. She was their age when she proudly told her father she wanted to be a nurse.
They’re nearing their destination now. The buildings outside have become less structured, made of mud bricks with thatched or corrugated iron roofs. Electricity lines came to an end a while back.
There are many experiences in Ify’s 34 years that she could point to as the reason she’s in this car today, as an MSI nurse about to provide women with contraception…
