By
Aisha Mohammed
United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, says its European Union-funded, Strengthening Access to Reproductive Health, EU-SARAH, Initiative is improving maternal, child and adolescent healthcare delivery in Adamawa State.
UNICEF Health Officer, Bauchi Field Office, Oluseyi Olosunde, made this assertion during a media engagement in Yola, Adamawa State.
Home birth deliveries in Nigeria, often attended by untrained traditional birth attendants or unskilled assistants, have significantly contributed to the country’s high maternal and neonatal mortality rates.
The UNICEF Health Officer, Bauchi Field Office, Oluseyi Olosunde, said to address these challenges, UNICEF is strengthening governance for health systems and community engagement through the EU-SARAH Initiative, a four-year programme aimed at reducing maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality by improving access to quality healthcare services for women, children and adolescents across Adamawa State.
He added that as part of efforts to sustain the gains of the initiative, UNICEF has established platforms to coordinate and monitor progress and performance.
Olosunde further revealed that more than 1,385 frontline health workers have been trained in various areas to improve service delivery, contributing to increased utilization of healthcare facilities by women.
The project has also strengthened community structures through the establishment of Mama2Mama Support Groups and Fathers for Good Health initiatives aimed at promoting positive health-seeking behaviour and supporting maternal and child healthcare at the grassroots.
UNICEF, through the EU-SARAH Initiative, also facilitated the ad-hoc engagement of 336 nurses and midwives to improve access to antenatal and reproductive health services, particularly in underserved and hard-to-reach communities.
Community-based health workers, Samira Ismaila from Jambutu Primary Healthcare Centre and Kefas Ka’azi from Uba Primary Healthcare Centre in Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State, described the initiative as transformative, noting improvements in healthcare access, community participation and outcomes for mothers, children and adolescents across the state.
The EU-SARAH Initiative is being implemented by the Adamawa State Government with support from UNICEF and UNFPA.
Adamawa, alongside Sokoto and Kwara States, is benefiting from the initiative, which aims to sustain mechanisms built into the project design to ensure continuity beyond donor support.
The initiative also prioritises adolescent reproductive health, an area that has not received adequate attention in Nigeria.
It aims to reach about 896,000 children under five in Adamawa State over the implementation period and has already supported approximately 150,000 pregnant and lactating mothers with access to quality antenatal services and skilled birth attendance.
It is also expected to reach 75,000 adolescents annually through preventive and promotive health interventions.
