Chioma Umeha
Five states have signed a Letter of Commitment
with The Challenge Initiative (TCI)
to implement The Challenge Fund Catalytic Grant after a demand-driven
self-selection process for the urban poor.
The States that signed the letter of commitment are Ogun, Kano,
Delta, Bauchi and Niger.
A statement made available to INDEPENDENT by
Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI), said the grant is aimed
at providing technical and financial assistance to the states in implementing
successful high impact NURHI family planning proven interventions.
TCI said it will work with the state government
through the State Ministry of Health, State Primary Healthcare Development
Agency (SPHDA) and other relevant departments as well as agencies of the states
to implement the grant with the states in the driver’s seat at the forefront of
executing the grant while TCI provides light touch technical support.
For States to achieve the National 36 per cent
Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) 2018 target, they need robust plan to
improve access to voluntary family planning and child birth spacing, Dashe
Kaseina, TCI Nigeria’s Communications and Knowledge Management Officer said.
The two elements are key components of reproductive health that has proven to have
transformative impacts on communities and countries to promote health and
prosperity.
On family planning information and services,
Kaseina stated that family planning has reduce maternal mortality by 30 per
cent, as well as giving women, men and young people the opportunity to choose
whether and when to have a child.
It also
critical to births spacing
and prevention of unintended pregnancy, unlocking future opportunities and improving overall quality of life for men,
women among others.
She observed that Nigeria has demonstrated
commitment to family planning with the National Blueprint for Family
Planning(FP) in 2014.
The aims are to achieve a National CPR of 36 per
cent by 2018 and to reposition the family planning, child birth spacing
programme on its investment agenda.
It to will also ensure that all women of
reproductive age15 to 49 years of age have unhindered access to modern family
planning andchild birth spacing
methods of their choice, Kaseina said.
She lamented
that these states are set to ensure the necessary shift in family
planning/child birth spacing programming at the structural, service and
community levels with the challenge of funds.
Kaseina recalled that the Minister of Health,
Prof. Isaac Adewole during the November 2016 national family planning
conference in Abuja made a bold commitment to family planning.
“Adewole said, our commitment is that in spite of
the downturn in the economy we would continue to meet all our obligations to
put three Million Dollar per year and for 2017 we will increase it to four
million US Dollar.”
Dr. Victor Igharo, Programme Manager of TCI
Nigeria said, the initiative is built on the success of NURHI which contributed
to increased Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) which is averagely 11.5
percentage points in six cities, FCT, Ibadan, Ilorin, Kaduna, Benin, and Zaria.
Igharo said TCI is encouraging states to invest
their resources in family as well as implement proven strategies and model such
as NURHI to contribute to the achievement of the national family planning goal
of 36 percent CPR by 2018.
He said that this set of grantees will be able to
meet the growing demand for voluntary family planning, particularly among the
urban poor, and break the cycle of poverty, adding that family planning and
reproductive health gives women, families, as well as communities a brighter
future.
Igharo however added that TCI Nigeria will
continue to provide self-selected
states with NURHI model or any slice of the model for change.
Also, Mojisola Odeku, the Portfolio Director of
Johns Hopkins University Centre for Communication Programs, (JHUCCP) Nigeria
country projects, said “the Challenge Initiative offers a unique approach
because interested Nigerian cities self-select to participate in the Initiative
and bring their resources to the table in order to leverage significant
resources and be able to provide high quality family planning and reproductive
health services to those in need.”
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