CEWHIN (Centre for Women’s Health and Information) was founded on the principle of advancing the mental, physical, and social well‑being of women and girls – a mission that naturally extends into responding to violence‑related trauma. In the wake of the COVID‑19 lockdowns in Nigeria, sexual and gender‑based violence (SGBV) surged, and many survivors lacked access to emotional and psychological care. CEWHIN recognized that nearly 45% of women who experienced violence never reported it or sought help. To bridge this gap, we launched psychosocial support programming starting with training lay first responders at community level to offer immediate, non‑clinical, supportive care.
CEWHIN’s Psychosocial First-Aid (PFA) Programmes
Community Psychological First-Aider Training (CPFA)
With support from the Ford Foundation, CEWHIN rolled out a project across Ogun, Osun, and Oyo states titled “Strengthening Access to Community‑Based Psychosocial Support to Survivors of Violence Against Women and Girls.” This multi‑year initiative from 2021-2023 trained community advocates, religious leaders, survivors’ group leaders, disability‑focused organisations, and local CBOs in PFA skills using the LOOK, LISTEN and LINK methodology. In its two years of implementation, over 350 survivors accessed support through trained PFAs.
