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News and Photo Stories Week 16
SFH IN THE NEWS
Katsina, SFH expand agreement on maternal, child health interventions
Punch, 15 April 2025
The Katsina State Government has attached an addendum to the existing memorandum of understanding it signed with the Society for Family Health on expanded maternal, child health interventions designed to enhance healthcare service delivery in the state. The signing of the agreement which took place on Monday in Katsina, aimed at implementing the delivery innovations in self-care with particular focus on maternal and neonatal health, healthy child spacing and capacity building for healthcare workers.
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AHFID Honours Top 50 Women Voices in Development, NGO
ThisDay, 09 April 2025
The African Hub for Innovation and Development (AHFID) has honoured Top 50 Women Voices in the Development and Non-governmental Organizations, (NGO) sector, recognizing exceptional women who have made significant contributions to sustainable development in Nigeria and beyond. According to the organisation, the honorees have demonstrated outstanding commitment, leadership, and impact across various areas including gender equality, education, health, youth empowerment, environmental sustainability, and policy advocacy.
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SFH ACTIVITIES
SFH Holds Advocacy and Debriefing Meeting with Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Health
As part of ongoing efforts to strengthen collaboration with state health stakeholders, Society for Family Health (SFH) team, led by the Deputy Managing Director, Strategy, Technical and Growth, Dr Jennifer Anyanti, paid an advocacy and debriefing visit to the Honorable Commissioner for Health in Akwa Ibom State, Dr Emmanuel Ekem. The visit served a dual purpose: to formally congratulate Dr Ekem on his recent appointment as Commissioner for Health and to provide a comprehensive briefing on the recently concluded Post Distribution Monitoring (PDM) activities under the AMF-supported project in the state. During the meeting, Dr Anyanti shared key updates from the project implementation and highlighted SFH’s commitment to improving health outcomes across Akwa Ibom. The engagement also provided an opportunity to discuss continued collaboration and alignment with the state’s health priorities. In his response, Dr Ekem expressed deep appreciation for SFH’s visit and the support the organisation continues to provide.
He reaffirmed the Ministry’s readiness to work closely with SFH and promised to create an enabling environment for the seamless execution of SFH-led interventions across the state. The meeting was attended by officials from the Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Health, including the Honorable Commissioner for Health, Dr Emmanuel Ekem; the Permanent Secretary, Dr Patrick Essiet; the Director of Public Health, Dr Etop Antia; and the Programme Manager, Dr Boniface Ukpong. Representing SFH were Dr Jennifer Anyanti , Deputy Managing Director, Strategy Technical and Growth; Dr. Anthony Adindu Nwala, Assistant Chief Programme Officer; Miriam Chinenye Nnemelu, AMF Project Manager; Christian Oshoke Akomor, AMF Data Specialist; Janet Eze, AMF Finance Specialist; and Aniekeme L. Etuk, the SFH ACCESS State Officer. This strategic engagement underscores SFH’s ongoing commitment to working with government stakeholders to ensure sustainable impact and health equity in Akwa Ibom State.
In early March 2025, Rivers State reported a cholera outbreak that severely impacted Andoni and Akuku-Toru Local Government Areas (LGAs), raising urgent public health concerns. Cholera, an acute diarrheal disease linked to poor sanitation and unsafe water, quickly spreads in vulnerable communities lacking adequate WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) infrastructure. As of April 2025, nine (9) deaths have been recorded in Akuku-Toru LGA, making it one of the LGAs with the highest number of fatalities from the cholera outbreak. The WASH for Healthy Lives (W4HL) project, in response to this outbreak, swung into action by providing lifesaving water purification products, hygiene education, and technical support to the state in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources & Sanitation.
The activities deployed in response to the outbreak in the state include an advocacy visit to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources and Rural Development, Rivers State, as our community entry strategy; a field visit to affected LGAs, i.e., Andoni and Akuku-Toru LGA; a donation of 48,000 units of P&G Purifier of water to the two LGAs; and a demonstration on how to use the P&G Purifier of Water for water treatment. The WASH emergency response activity in Rivers State, under the W4HL project, successfully addressed urgent needs in Andoni and Akoko Toru LGAs. Through coordinated advocacy, material support, and capacity-building efforts, SFH contributed to controlling the cholera outbreak and reinforcing local WASH systems. This intervention reflects SFH commitment to safeguarding health through scalable, responsive, and sustainable WASH programming.
SFH Participates in RMNCAEH Core Technical Group Meeting in Abuja
Society for Family Health (SFH) is currently participating in a 3-day Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent and Elderly Health (RMNCAEH) Core Technical Group (CTG) meeting, taking place from 14th to 16th April 2025 at Bolton White Hotel, Abuja. The meeting, convened by the Family Health Department of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, marks the first gathering of the restructured RMNCAEH coordination group in line with the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp). The objective is to enhance coordination and effectiveness in achieving RMNCAEH strategic priorities and national health sector reform targets. Key objectives of the meeting include: Presentation of the RMNCAEH strategy and review of progress under the SWAp implementation approach, in alignment with National Health Sector Reform II (NHSRII) targets to reduce maternal and under-five mortality; Deliberation on strategic actions to fast-track implementation of the seven RMNCAEH strategic objectives; Knowledge sharing on ongoing programme implementation, lessons learnt, and good practices to support learning and knowledge management; Consensus building on the draft Terms of Reference (ToR), membership list, and proposed subcommittee structure with designated chairs, secretaries, and deputies.
SFH IntegratE project conducts Mandatory Entry Point Training Program (MEPTP) in Bauchi State
The IntegratE Project, Bauchi State, recently commenced the Batch C training for the Mandatory Entry Point Training Program (MEPTP). The Mandatory Entry Point Training Program (MEPTP) is a key component of the IntegratE project in collaboration with Nigeria’s three-tier accreditation system for Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors (PPMVS), designed to improve access to family planning and primary health care services (PHC) through a 4-week formal training program. The event brought together key stakeholders, including the Director of Pharmaceutical Services (DPS) at the Bauchi State Ministry of Health, Pharm. Gumau; the North east zonal officer Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN), Pharm. Gwa Emmanuel; State PCN Officer, Pharm. Magaji Mohammed, the President, National Association of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors (NAPPMED) for Bauchi State, Mr Samson Ibrahim. The welcome address was delivered by the Provost (Garu Islamic College of Health Technology) who welcomed both the participants and all the stakeholders present. In his speech, he appreciated the IntegratE for the support provided for the training through its funder (Gates Foundation).
The Director, Pharmaceutical Services, Bauchi State Ministry of Health, also gave his speech, reaffirming the objectives of the meeting as he advised the participants to make themselves available for the opportunity to be trained. Pharm. Emmanuel Gwa, highlighted the crucial role of MEPTP in enhancing healthcare service delivery across Bauchi State and urged participants to actively engage in the training to better serve their communities. He officially flagged off Batch 3 of the MEPTP. Idoko Stephen, the Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation Officer for the IntegratE Project on behalf of the State Technical Advisor, gave an insightful presentation on the overview of the IntegratE project, emphasising the project goals, the key benefits of the MEPTP, the expected outcome of the project, strategic approaches in achieving the goals, and how the project supports both MEPTP and broader healthcare improvements in the state. The participants were excited to be part of this batch’s training as they gained adequate knowledge and skills to provide essential healthcare services.
Weekly Quotes/Nuggets
Important updates to catch up with
Have you read our 2024 Annual Report?
Our 2024 Annual Report showcases our commitment to delivering quality healthcare and transforming lives across communities. To explore our impact, key achievements, and to learn more about how we are breaking barriers to ensure health for all.
Read the full report here.
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