Following a busy and engaging year, a nongovernmental organization working on immunization, has ended the 2024 calendar with an important program in Borno State capital, Maiduguri.
The organization, Borno State African Health Budget Network (AHBN) and Zero Dose Learning Hub (ZDLH) community of practice (CoP) for immunization budget tracking, transparency, and accountability held a third-quarter review meeting, focused on evaluating its past activities, to enable it’s planning for the future.
The meeting, which took place on Saturday at Dujima International Hotel, Maiduguri also aims to develop a crucial scorecard for the year’s activities.
According to the organization, the scorecard would enhance the CoP’s advocacy efforts by establishing clear goals and objectives, and to target key stakeholders both within and outside government.
The scorecard, it’s says will also play a vital role in improving immunization financing and addressing challenges such as zero-dose children and missed communities in the two ZDLH LGAs, Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC) and Jere.
At the meeting, Dr. Adamu Alhassan, who chaired the meeting, inaugurated a five-member committee comprising government officials, Civil Society Organizations (CSO) representatives, and key development partners.
The committee will be responsible for developing a workable scorecard template that will assess the state’s readiness to address gaps in immunization financing and budget tracking.
The review meeting was attended by members of the CoP, CSOs, professional bodies, media and other development partners in Borno.
This year is a remarkable journey for the CoP, especially in it’s operations in Borno.
With the aim of ensuring every child in the state get access to immunization, the organization has adopted several practices and strategies.
These strategies are not limited to enhancing their operational capacity but geared towards public education, advocacy and campaigns on the importance of immunization.
Part of these strategies were the involvement of religious leaders in steering campaigns and advocacies.
Religion plays a vital role in the lives of people of Borno communities and the decision of CoP to engage it’s leading forces in advancing it’s campaigns, most have been informed by this reality.
In October, two committees of the organization paid an advocacy visit to the Chief Imam of Borno State, Imam Ibrahim Laisu Ahmed to advocate for his support in their ongoing efforts towards addressing the number of zero dose children in the state.
Led by Ali Yerima Gamboru, a chairman of the sub-committee, the cleric was introduced to ZDLH project and its implementation in MMC and Jere and the roles of CoP, while highlighting the progress achieved since the inception of the project.
The team equally highlighted the role of religious and traditional rulers in driving positive perception on immunization on the populace and dispelling the myths and misconceptions about it.
The Imam reponded with a commitment in supporting their campaign, through awareness.
He also pledged to bring up the issue at forums of religious leaders, to ensure a uniform chain of approach, with messages aimed at educating the people against immunization dose hesitancy.
Laisu further called for continuous engagement regarding their progress and challenges, to equip and enable them key into it effectively.
Similarly, CoP Borno team had in November, paid another advocacy visit to Borno State Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Rev. Dr. John B. Bakeni, to seek for his support in immunization budget tracking, accountability and sustainability.
The team informed the cleric that the success of these efforts would improve funding and immunization coverage in the state.
The visit, at his office in Wulari, a community in Maiduguri, accorded CoP the opportunity to brief the religious leader on the ZDLH project and the expectations on the part of traditional and religious leaders across the state.
They equally highlighted the roles he and other religious leaders can play in addressing vaccine resistance and hesitancy as well as improvement in financing immunization activities in the state.
In his response, the Dr. Bakeni pledged to be an ambassador to the team’s project, assuring them of his commitment and support.
The cleric also reiterated the willingness and readiness of CAN to partner with the project through awareness creation for other clerics and the congregations whenever the need arises.
Among other activities of CoP within the year are assessments of health facilities and facility based immunization budget tracking to identify high and low performing facilities, and enable them take measures for improvement.
In line with that, the organization has, prior to the latest meeting, conducted a facility assessment tour of two health facilities in Jere, Dalaram and Gongulong PHCs.
The assessment aimed to evaluate the level of health services provided and identify critical gaps for subsequent engagement with policymakers at the local government and state levels.
Furthermore, the CoP undertook an advocacy visit to Alhaji Baba Abba Hassan Umar, the District Head of Khadamari in Jere LGA and identified gaps at the low-performing Gongulong health facility.
The CoP urged the district head to advocate for improved policy measures, particularly in the area of skilled manpower for the facility.
