Committed Soul Women Health Advocacy Africa Initiative (COSWOHI) was founded in 2016 by passionate female sex workers in Oyo State, Nigeria, who decided to take a stand against the injustices they faced in brothels. Determined to make a difference, they gathered their peers, built their capacities, and began advocating for vulnerable women and girls to have access to human rights and sexual reproductive health information and services.
The organization was formally registered with the Oyo State Government (OYSG) in 2017. Since then, COSWOHI has worked to increase access to human rights and sexual reproductive health services for vulnerable women and girls in Nigeria through service delivery, public education, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement.
Our key objectives include:
Contributing to the national reduction of HIV/AIDS prevalence among key populations (KPs), both at the state and national levels.
Advocating for and providing access to HIV/STI prevention services and information for the most at-risk populations (MARPs), including the infected and affected.
Documenting human rights violations and providing free paralegal and legal services to victims of such violations, regardless of age, sex, gender, social status, physical ability, or sexual orientation.
Engaging in public education and advocacy to address the rights and health needs of women and girls in marginalized communities.
Over the years, COSWOHI has expanded its influence to support female sex workers in Oyo, Osun, and Kwara States, Nigeria.
