HELDi officials helping most rural women in oil spill ravaged communities to find a voice
A non-governmental organization operating in the most rural parts of the Niger Delta says it has made a startling discovery.
The coordinator, Mfon Utin, stated in her monthly report that women in such areas have yet to find their voice nor feet to stand with the men and make contributions.
Utin in the report made available to BusinessDay said women were not usually invited to sit at the village square to make decisions, despite being oil ravaged areas where all voices were usually expected to speak out.
Instead, when such opportunity was granted the women through activism of the likes of the Healthy Life Development Initiative (HELDi), the women remained mute.
Reacting, Utin emphasized that the project’s goal is to enhance the capacities of vulnerable and physically challenged women for improved resilience and survival in oil-impacted communities like Odagwa.
She passionately appealed to the traditional rulers for the inclusion and active participation of women in community decision-making. She stated: “However, it was observed with concern that none of the women present contributed during the discussions. HELDi expressed hope that, through the project, women’s voices would be amplified and their participation in environmental and social development issues would be strengthened.”
HELDi led the team in April 2025 for the advocacy visit to Samuel C. Odum, the Eze and Ochimba of Odagwa Community in Etche LGA of Rivers State. “The meeting brought together key stakeholders, including community leaders, women, adolescents, and persons with disabilities, as requested by HELDi, since these groups represent the primary target audience of the project.”
Utin said she presented an overview of the project, emphasizing that the selection of Odagwa was deliberate due to the community’s long-standing exposure to environmental pollution from oil exploration activities dating back to the 1950s. She highlighted the devastating impact of oil spills, gas flaring, and environmental degradation, which she said had disproportionately affected women, adolescents, and other marginalized groups, leading to the loss of farmlands, livelihoods, contamination of water bodies, and increasing health complications.
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The Ochimba was said to have noted that the community had long sought support to address these pressing issues and thanked HELDi for its timely intervention. He affirmed that the project would greatly benefit women and other vulnerable groups in the community.
During the interactive session, Emmanuel Amadi, the Youth Leader, noted that men also suffer from the effects of environmental degradation and should be engaged.
Endurance Nnaji, the Community Development Committee (CDC) chairman, showed worry if they would be taxed for the benefits HELDi brought, but was assured that all project activities would be fully funded by HELDi, with support from the Global Greengrants Fund (GGF). She, however, emphasized the need for community cooperation, availability, and support to ensure the project’s success.
She also spoke about HELDi’s broader mission to advocate for the establishment of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) Response Teams in ONELGA, Eleme, and Etche LGAs, covering all three senatorial districts of Rivers State. “This initiative aligns with the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law, domesticated in Rivers State in 2020, which seeks to establish response mechanisms for survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).”
Utin stressed that achieving this mission requires collective advocacy and engagement with local stakeholders and decision-makers in Etche. She also mentioned the need to engage the herdsmen, so that their representatives could be part of the SGBV response team. The Ochimba kindly pledged to facilitate that connection. He described the intervention as timely and essential for addressing the challenges faced by vulnerable individuals in Odagwa and across Etche communities.
She gave special recognition to Monica Agbam, the woman leader, for her exceptional efforts in mobilizing stakeholders for the advocacy visit and Ogbeti Doris Odum for her support.
She reaffirmed HELDi’s commitment to building the capacity of vulnerable persons, promoting environmental justice, and advocating for the establishment of SGBV response mechanisms to combat all forms of violence in the communities.
