Ascending Health Foundation

Ascending Health Foundation

Ascending Health Foundation(AHF) is a Non-governmental Organization(NGO) incorporated with the Corporate Affairs Commission in Nigeria. AHF is an affiliate of Bridging-Health Intl (BHI). Together they work collaboratively with BHI to drive the mission and vision the overall organizational goals.

A book titled " Inequality in a Rapidly Changing World "published by World Health Organization (UN) , highlighted the deeper divide in rural communities. It further reports an increase in the number of out-of-school children in rural areas of Nigeria (UN, 2020).

In a bid to bridge this gap, AHF with its parent organization are in a collaborative drive to advance programs targeted at mitigating inequalities and inequities in vulnerable populations and communities in Nigeria with particular interest in rural communities. We are poised to improve rural health and serve the underserved.

"Where people live exerts a strong influence on their opportunities in life including access to safe drinking water, electricity, health care, good schools, decent work and other goals envisioned in the 2030 Agenda. Inequalities related to location – also known as “spatial inequalities” – can be extreme between rural and urban areas, especially in developing countries" (United Nations, 2020).

The prevalence of health inequity continues to be a challenge across countries and within countries, with rural disadvantages persisting. Ascending Health Foundation (AHF) with support of its parent non-profit organization, Bridging-Health Int’l (USA) is dedicated to addressing rural health. Currently, AHF is educating pupils in rural public schools on menstrual health management and discouraging the use of reusable rags and washing same in the public streams where water is by the community. This initiative is part of AHF's broader campaign to bridge the gender gap and address inequalities in education in rural communities by tackling prevalent conditions that affect the quality of life and overall well-being. .

In alignment with the global call to action by the UN and WHO to address period poverty and bridge gender inequality, AHF, in collaboration with its affiliate BHI (USA), is advancing this campaign through research and data to provide evidence-based solutions.

Period poverty is a global health issue impacting women and girls in both wealthy and impoverished nations (UN Women, 2024). In response to the UN and WHO's global call to action to address period poverty and reduce gender inequality, AHF and BHI are advancing the Period Poverty Reduction Campaign. This initiative, in collaboration with the University of Uyo in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, aims to educate, demystify menstruation, and gather data from rural public schools for evidence-based interventions.