In a determined effort to boost mother and child health, Bauchi State Government, UNICEF Nigeria and a Bauchi based NGO, Fahimta Women and Youth Development Initiative are collaborating to train 120 community volunteers in child-friendly initiatives.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of 5-day-training, on Tuesday, Bauchi State Commissioner of Budget and Economic Planning, Aminu Hammayo commended UNICEF for the continuous support in different sectors of the development of the state and its people over the years.
The commissioner expressed happiness with the training of the 120 youth volunteers on real-time monitoring for the child-friendly community initiative (CFCI) held at the Banquet Hall of Zaranda Hotels and Towers in Bauchi.
He added that “I also want to appreciate and congratulate the volunteers for their commitment to ensuring the improved well-being of our people.
“I want to sincerely thank the organisers for this training and for choosing Bauchi as one of the pilot states for this unique intervention which seeks to address different challenges in the community.”
Aminu Hammayo added that “As you are all aware, the Child-Friendly Community Initiative is a UNICEF initiative that supports communities in realizing the rights of children at the local level.”
“It is also a network that brings together government and other stakeholders such as civil society organizations, private sector, academia, media and importantly, children themselves who wish to make their communities more child friendly,” he further said.
According to him, The objective of the project is to empower and strengthen the capacity of local government and rural communities to adopt child centred attitudes, behaviours, practices and improve access to basic services that promote child well-being and development.
The commissioner observed that “It couldn’t have been more appropriate than at this time when we face a multitude of problems such as malnutrition, out of school children, high rate of infant and child mortality among others.
“This training is organised with a view to ensuring that house to house data on access to basic services including basic education, healthcare, nutrition, water and sanitation as well as child protection,” he stressed.
According to him, it is to provide adequate information for broader coverage and inclusiveness with a view to addressing current challenges facing the children and women in Toro Local Government in order to improve the situation, where they live and ensure that children have a say in all issues and decision-making processes affecting them.”
He then declared the training opened saying, “It is my pleasure to welcome you all to this training for the volunteers and supervisors on real-time data collection for the Child Friendly Community Initiative in Toro Local Government Area.”
Speaking earlier, UNICEF Chief of Field Office, Bauchi, Tushar Rane said that the child-friendly volunteers’ program is aimed at empowering communities to achieve the set objectives of child survival through routine immunization and other health related issues.
He said that the program is in alignment with the Generation Next project which is focused on the development of the child from infancy to adulthood by ensuring that every necessary health activity was duly followed and adhered to.
He further said that UNICEF is spending huge money on the empowerment of various communities where is it present because according to him, the aim is to promote healthy living, especially for women and children.
Tushar Rane commended the program in Bauchi state saying that, “Bauchi State is doing well in the child-friendly program. The experience here is very impressive, it is a good initiative. Other states are copying what is happening here.”
He then advised the volunteers to be attentive to the training and ensure that they put all they learnt into practice back home so that the set objectives of the training will be achieved.
In her remarks, Executive Director of Fahimta Women and Youth Development Initiatives, Hajiya Maryam Garba said that her organization and UNICEF have been involved in the Child Friendly Community Initiative exercise in Toro LGA.
According to her, in order to make Toro LGA Child friendly, it engaged stakeholders and 20 communities were selected and sensitized in Toro ward on the CFCI project while one LGA coordinating body wss established with 13 members just as community coordinating bodies with 15 members per community and one community mobilizer across the 20 communities identified.
According to her, 120 volunteers were selected across the 20 communities who are responsible for groeth monitoring and promotion exercise, household mapping and many other activities.
Maryam Garba then commended UNICEF and the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning for collaboration with her organization in implementing the project calling for more collaboration and support.
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