Funding outcome

Around the world, terrorist attacks are driving large numbers of people, including women and children, out of their homes on a daily basis. In Nigeria, the terrorist group Boko Haram, has forced over one million women into relief camps, where they encounter unique social and health challenges due to poverty and governmental neglect. Even though they have fled to relief camps, these women are not safe. In the absence of adequate supports, women in relief camps are often compelled to exchange sex for food, money, and basic necessities of life. As a result, unplanned pregnancies have increased among these women. Although unplanned pregnancies among women in relief camps are increasing alarmingly, there is limited knowledge about how pregnant women in these circumstances access healthcare. My doctoral research examines this phenomenon, with the aim of providing policy recommendations that can help address gaps in healthcare provision to this population. My research is guided by the following questions: (1} how do women in relief camps negotiate care for themselves during pregnancy?; (2) what barriers do they face and how do they overcome them?; and (3) what are the gaps in health service provision for these women? By answering these questions, the research will: (i} identify how women access healthcare in relief camps; (ii} identify and explain the determinants of healthcare access for pregnant women in relief camps; and (iii} make policy recommendations for addressing gaps in healthcare provision to these women. Data collection will be undertaken in the Kuchingoro and Dagba camps in north-central Nigeria, which are now home to a large number of women with unplanned pregnancies. I will conduct in-depth qualitative interviews with 40 to 50 participants, including pregnant women, health service providers, and policy makers. In this regard, sufficient time will be spent living in these displaced communities to collect and analyze in-depth qualitative data on the healthcare needs of these women and the factors influencing their access to healthcare. Interviews will be conducted in the native language of the participants. Interviews will be tape-recorded, translated into English, and transcribed verbatim prior to analysis. I will also review policy and strategy documents on healthcare provision from the State Department of Health to complement the field data. To inform policies, programs, and service improvement to pregnant women in these camps, the results will be summarized in a report and shared with the Federal Ministry of Health, healthcare administrators, and humanitarian agencies operating in these camps. Engaging these stakeholders with the findings can inform interventions that enhance healthcare access for pregnant women in these vulnerable conditions. As a knowledge dissemination strategy, I will publish my research findings in peer-reviewed journals. In addition, the findings will be presented at international conferences, attended by refugee advocacy groups and healthcare practitioners interested in addressing inequalities and injustices in healthcare provision.