Toyin Taiwo is an entrepreneur and experienced IT professional who seeks excellence always and passionate about achieving the plan and purpose of God for her life.
She enjoys facilitating initiatives to give back and support others, while continuously seeking to collaborate with like minds to bring hope and promote the agenda of God’s Kingdom.
She is the founder of the Feminine Health & Fibroid (FHF) Support Network. This initiative was birthed from her personal journey of Fibroids and the desire to help and support other women going through Feminine Health challenges.
To create an environment to educate, support, empower, nurture and address conscious and unconscious biases that women face. An environment for women to speak up, be empowered to live their fullest lives and achieve their very best.
A platform to provide support in our community through relevant discussions, hand holding, peer to peer support, education & lifestyle guidance, experience sharing, coaching, nurturing, signposting, encouraging women to speak up, promoting mental health awareness, dealing with cultural biases and pastoral care.
Also to educate and inform the next generation – so that they’re better equipped to look after themselves.
There is a gap and dire need for a support system for women’s Health & Mental Health issues, especially around Female Reproductive Health E.g. Fibroids, endometriosis, adenomyosis and FHF Support Network is working to bridge the gap.
In this Interview with Oyinlola Sale, Toyin Taiwo unravels her journey into the walk and talk Initiative.
Over the years, your area of Areas of expertise has been business and IT, but along the line you decided to create Feminine Health and Fibroid Network, what is the inspiration behind it?
The Feminine Health and Fibroid Network – FHF Support Network was birthed from my personal journey of Fibroids and the desire to help and support other women going through Feminine Health challenges.
During the most difficult and darkest moments of my journey of Fibroid, I yearned and searched extensively for a support system or Network that could provide information, support and hand holding, a place of connection with other women who can share their stories to guide and alleviate my fears. I couldn’t find any!
This gap/ need of a support hub that wasn’t available led to the start of FHF Support Group.
Also, after my procedure I discovered there’s a lot of black women going through similar experience with Fibroids and some worse than I had it.
And by speaking up and sharing my experience, I started attracting other women who needed hand holding and coaching. Sharing my story also helped more women to come forward to share their story.
We have a growing group support hub with women and the men who love them.
At FHF support Network, our goal is to create an environment to educate, support, empower, nurture and address conscious and unconscious biases that women face. An environment for women to speak up, be empowered to live their fullest lives and achieve their very best.
A platform to provide support in our community through relevant discussions, hand holding, peer to peer support, education & lifestyle guidance, experience sharing, coaching, nurturing, signposting, encouraging women to speak up, promoting mental health awareness, dealing with cultural biases and pastoral care.
Also, to educate and inform the next generation – so that they’re better equipped to look after themselves.
What did you put in place to achieve the Feminine Health and Fibroid Network?
With the desire to serve, I wanted to be certain this was an initiative God wanted me to do – prayed for confirmation and ask God to send me helpers who would have genuinely heart connection to work and serve with me.
With God’s help – put together a team, once I knew the objective of the support group is looking to achieve.
A support group to encourage conversations and proffer solutions concerning predominant women’s health issues including Fibroids, Endometriosis, Adenomyoma Myomectomy, Hysterectomy, alternative treatments & medicine, Food and Healthy lifestyle among others.
We put together a structure then a plan. Currently we have a plan for 12 months, 3 year and 5-year forecast.
We have staff and volunteers working constantly to implement our plan in stages
Our strategy.
A quarterly meeting via zoom, monthly tea party meet-up meetings at selected venues and regional areas to include United Kingdom, Africa, and USA.
A Support Hub, on WhatsApp & Telegram to engage, share stories, support, and signpost.
Live Q&A Sessions on Instagram with Health and Lifestyle professionals
Now, what impact has the Feminine Health and Fibroid Network made so far?
More women are speaking up to address their issues and glean from other’s experiences. No more shame is talking about women’s health issues
More women are exposed to more information on lifestyles, alternative medicine, and more education on Feminine health.
In the support hub we have consultant gynecologists, general practitioners (GP), Medical Doctors, Lifestyle coaches and dieticians to help answer women’s questions, guide, and signpost our members and meet needs.
We’re getting more visibility to assist us in supporting women. Our obligation is first to the women in our Support Hub.
Verdict hospital in Lagos is partnering with us to give women free consultation and 50% discount for required procedures.
Is it capital intensive to facilitate an initiative tied to Women’s health in Nigeria?
Indeed, it is capital intensive. There’s a lot of infrastructure in place to ensure the running of the charitable organization. Every project and events we’re running are cost related.
We seek sponsors, partners, and volunteers to collaborate with us
At The Feminine Health & Fibroid Network, we provide the following support
Support Community
Education
Coaching
Professional Guidance and Signposting
Support Circle and peer to peer support for women who are planning to undergo or have undergone any form of Feminine Health resolution procedure
Subsidized and/or Sponsored alternative Treatments and Procedures
Provide Education and Resources for women Health and wellbeing
Subsidized and/or Sponsored alternative Treatments and procedure options
Lifestyle Management Advice
Informative Resources
Pastoral Care
Survivors Hall of Fame: A place where survivors are encouraged to share their stories and lead support circles
Spousal counseling and education for men who would love to be armed with hands-on information on how to support their partners during and after treatment
We work on projects and initiatives to be able to achieve our goals and they all cost associated.
What were some of the challenges you have faced so far in running the Feminine Health and Fibroid Network?
Some of our challenges includes;
Women not wanting to speak up or share their journey due to cultural, social, and religious biases. The stigma around Feminine Health issues don’t encourage women to open up
We’re looking to crush the biases!
Other challenges include resources – financial resources, organizational support, governmental support, and initiative to support the cause for Feminine Health issues.
We need more collaborations with organizations and government departments to create awareness and help women with the physical, emotional, and mental health issues.
How do you intend to use the walk and talk Initiative to influence and transform the lives of women?
To encourage and enable women to speak up, to create more awareness and attract the help and support required to proffer solutions for Feminine Health issues.
Talking helps to improve mental health- as we walk to improve our physical health, we also deal with our mental health in the process.
Also, to let women know they can get help when they speak up.
Part of our goal is to ensure we proffer solutions or a management plan at least for every woman who’s part of our community with Feminine Health issues
Networking is everything… Your network is your net worth.
Together we can create a powerful network to help women with Feminine Health issues.
What policies can the Government put in place to support initiatives like your own?
Government can have policies that help create awareness by supporting projects and work in collaboration with charitable organizations like FHF Support Network.
Policies to help priorities women health issues and provide free consultation and heavily discounted health care provision. Afterall, the woman is the center of the family unit. The strong fiber that helps the family unity pull together. Once the woman is unwell, it not only affects her physical body, but it also affects her emotions and mental health, which affects her ability to function excellently which in turn affects her relationships and her family.
Create policies with emphasis to increase corporate social responsibilities for Feminine Health issues.
What are your plans for Feminine Health and Fibroid Network?
FHF Support Network aim to be a strong support system for women to engage, find help and transform lives – theirs and ours.
To be a part of on-going work and research around Fibroids and other feminine health issues and find solution.
I know of a couple clinical research and papers for publication going on around Fibroids currently.
We want to bring hope to women– physically, mentally, and spiritually.
To be a part of the solution for Feminine Health issues and supporting women to wellness and wholeness.
The women in our Support hub cut across many regions – United Kingdom, West Africa, USA, Australia.
We want to be a global name for women support for Feminine Issues especially around Fertility and reproduction.
In the first quarter of 2022, we looking to reach out to the younger generation – visit schools and bring education, information, and awareness to young women.
Having information early and knowing what to do can make a lot of difference!