Rotary RMCH Nigeria

Seeing that information is key to the reduction of maternal and neonatal mortality, we prioritize this in the ongoing Programs of Scale.

A major avenue where we put this to work is the "community dialogue", where issues around identification of risky pregnancies, family planning, antenatal & postnatal care, among others are discussed in the local language at length.

So was the case on Wednesday at Comprehensive Health Centre in Okesa, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti state:

ROTARY INTERNATIONAL SENSITIZES EKITI WOMEN ON PREVENTION OF MATERNAL MORTALITY DURING COMMUNITY DIALOGUE - Roundoff News A non-governmental organization, Rotary International in conjunction with Ekiti State government during their quarterly community dialogue sensitized Ekiti people on reproductive health to reduce high rate of deaths, especially among pregnant women and children. The one-day community dialogue organi...

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Rotary-RMCH’s Programs of Scale- “together for healthy families in Nigeria”

This is a testament to the healthy collaboration between us, our implementing partners (Government Agencies, Ministries and Agencies), the structure at the health facilities and at the community level in our implementing locations- FCT, Gombe, Nasarawa and Ekiti states.

We’d keep working to put an end to maternal and neonatal mortality in Nigeria

The overarching goal of the Family Planning Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptive (FP-LARC) training is to provide healthcare providers (service providers) with the requisite skills necessary to provide quality injectable, Intra Uterine Device (IUD) and Implant services.
It was a 5-day loaded intensive one for the participants. From these pictures, you can almost zoom into their world.
Eventually, these life-saving skills will be put to use in reducing maternal and neonatal mortality in Nigeria.
This lends further credence to the Together for Healthy Families in Nigeria (THFN) Programs of Scale (PoS).

Community outreach/home visits involve actively engaging with communities, healthcare providers, and local organizations to raise awareness about maternal and child health issues with the support of the 4 Programs of Scale (state) Government and Ministry of Health (Nasarawa, Gombe, Ekiti and FCT-Abuja).
Over 13,000 homes have been visited by the 84 healthcare providers trained. Various interventions were carried out in the course of these visits. Some of the interventions are- malaria screening, talk on nutrition, antenatal care, exclusive breastfeeding and much more. This has led to a tremendous improvement in healthcare-seeking behaviour at the health facilities.
Also, some of the states have taken the activity up, hence sustainability is guaranteed.

Community dialogue serves as a dynamic platform, uniting community members to foster learning, share insights, and refine perspectives. In the collective endeavor to mitigate maternal and neonatal mortality rates, community members receive comprehensive education on various facets of reproductive health, including sexual education, hygiene practices and nutrition.
The good thing about this activity is that, Traditional Leaders attend dialogues and this gives a lot of productive room for advocacy as well as credence to the discussions. We also have the Traditional Leaders advocating for Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health (RMCH) services.
The approach has received commendation from various states, with expressions of interest in adopting it pending thorough budgetary deliberations and processes.
Also, pregnant women of between 7 and 9months gestation period get birthing kits, while others get mosquito nets along with them

Community dialogue is a forum that draws participants from different sections of a community and creates the opportunity for exchanging information and perspectives, clarifying viewpoints, and developing solutions to issues of interest to the community.
The central aim of this endeavor, is to educate the community on “Sexual Reproductive Health, Hygiene, Pregnancy complications, use of contraceptives and access to health facilities for RMCH services”. This preferred method of reaching the entire community is being used for the “Together for healthy families in Nigeria” program because it incorporates the major principles of inclusion and equal participation in order to achieve the shared goals of the program.
We also distribute birthing kits, long-lasting insecticide treated nets during such engagements and the success stories have been amazing.

Zainab is a proud beneficiary of our community outreach and community dialogue last year, where she received a birthing kit, which helped slash her delivery fees by almost half because of the content of the kit- a plastic sheet/macintosh (bed cover), a bar of soap, an umbilical cord tie/string, latex gloves, a razor blade/surgical blade, pieces of guaze.
She also received a Long lasting insecticide treated net (LLIN) from us
Her journey, from pregnancy to the present, is a testament to the impact of our services. We stand proud, knowing that our collective efforts are making a positive difference in the lives of individuals like her

Rotary-RMCH, in light of the Together for Healthy Families in Nigeria donated maternal and child care equipment to Ekiti State government in support of the government’s commitment to healthcare service delivery.
Present at the event were the Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr Oyebanji Filani, ably represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health and Human Services, the Permanent Secretary Hospitals Management Board, represented by The Director of Nursing services Hospitals Management Board, Mrs. Olusola Gbenga-Igotun, the Executive Secretary, Ekiti state Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Ayodele Seluwa, the Country Director Rotary-RMCH Nigeria, Prof Emmanuel Lufadeju, as well as the State Rotary Rep, Dr. Olubunmi Ibitoye
Items donated include; MUAC Bands, Sanitary pads, Hand Sanitizers, Cotton wool, Pregnancy Test Strip, Surgical Blades, Adrenalin Injection, IUD insertion and removal kits, Antiseptic purit, Vit.K, mosquito net, bathing kits, and dissecting forceps.
Others are: folic acid, paracetamol, blood Lancet, weighing scale glucometer, Rechargable lamps, and Malaria Rapid Screening kits, among others.

In order to improve on the reporting, tracking, investigation of maternal and neonatal mortality in Nigeria, the MPCDSR (NOQA) platform was created. It takes into consideration- quality of structure, process, and outcome. It includes and extends the original World Health Organization (WHO) concept for maternal death review (MDR) into maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response (MPCDSR).
These are from a recent Advanced training on MPCDSR in Ekiti state. An activity of the Together for Healthy Families in Nigeria Programs of Scale, involving: M&E Officers, Medical Record Officers (MRO), Disease Surveillance and Notification Officer (DSNO) and Health Management Information System (HMIS) officers

There is a popular adage that “you cannot shave a person’s hair in his/her absence”.
This is the reason why we at Rotary-RMCH do not treat the activities of advocacy with levity.
This is because if you truly set out to carryout interventions; like we are currently doing in the Reproductive and maternal child health space in Ekiti state, you need to judiciously ensure that all organs of leadership- Federal, State, Local Government, Royal Fathers/Traditional Leaders, The Clerics, Opinion Leaders, etc. are well-informed and are part of the process formulation and implementation. This way, they can carry on with these laudable activities long after the project’s life cycle expires.
These are highlights from the Advocacy Workshop carried out in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria, as part of the Together for Healthy Families in Nigeria (THFN) Programs of Scale, funded by The Rotary Foundation.
Our objective is to drastically reduce maternal and neonatal mortality in our 4 project locations- Ekiti, Gombe, Nasarawa states and the FCT.
We were privileged to have HRM Oba Adebayo Adewole (the Ajero of Ijero), The Executive Secretary Ekiti State Primary Health Care Development Agency, amongst other eminent Leaders.

As part of our interventions on the “Together for Healthy Families in Nigeria” Programs of Scale, we distribute birthing kits to pregnant women to ease the process of delivery with the help of our partner- “Birthing Kit Foundation Australia” (BKFA).
They are designed to support hygienic practices and environments during childbirth in under-resourced settings.
Here are the items the birthing kit contains:

• Gloves- To cover the birth Attendant’s hands and provide protection from infections such as HIV for Carers and Care Recipients.

• Sterile Blade- To cut the umbilical cord cleanly and reduce risk of newborn sepsis and tetanus.

• Cord Ties- To tie the umbilical cord

• Soap- To wash the birth attendant’s hands and the Mother’s perineum.

• Plastic Sheet- To prevent the Mother and Newborn coming into contact with the ground or an unhygienic surface.

• Gauze- To wipe clear the newborn baby’s eyes and to clean the Mother’s perineum prior to giving birth.

Interesting read on Theory of Change and how it aids our Programs of Scale-

https://blog.rotary.org/2023/07/11/what-is-a-theory-of-change/ -14705