FOMWAN has played a tremendous role in the area of health as it is one of her program thematic areas. FOMWAN has hospitals in some of the states of the federation and also visit other hospitals that are not owned by FOMWAN for advocacy and sensitization. The advocacy and sensitization are conducted throughout Nigeria because they are part of strengths of FOMWAN. Also FOMWAN has a health committee which comprises of health professionals in the field of medicine, nursing, etc. The committee is chaired by Dr Yalwa Usman who is medical consultant and was part of those who developed the National strategic framework for the elimination of obstetric fistula in Nigeria (2019 – 2023).
FOMWAN Health Committee’s activities are basically on projects. In view of this, the following are the highlights of some health projects carried out from 2008-To date.
PACKARD FOUNDATION/Management for strategy for Africa (MSA)
This was a community-based advocacy project that was aimed to improve the adverse RH situation in Bauchi, Borno and Yobe states. The project was funded by the Packard foundation as part of its capacity building of indigenous Nigerian NGOs to implement innovative RH programs through Management Strategy for Africa (MSA).
Based on the problems identified in the North Eastern part of the country, FOMWAN used the SPIT-FIRE approach to break cultural barriers militating against the use of modern health-care including child spacing services through continuous sensitization of community and religious groups on reproductive health and child survival challenges especially HIV/AIDS and maternal mortality. Other strategies include advocacy to gain the support of Opinion, Religious and Traditional leaders at all levels and reduce opposition and resistance to reproductive health including child spacing programs and efforts.
FOMWAN also used creating awareness on RH issues and enlightening the communities especially women on the availability of services as well as creating demand for services through various culturally sensitive IEC initiatives and activities to communicate with men and women regarding their roles in prevention of maternal mortality and morbidity including unsafe abortions, STIs and HIV/AIDS. FOMWAN has developed compelling messages and liaison with religious leaders, policy makers, and the media in a manner that would encourage leaders to take action to improve maternal health services and utilization of modern health facilities in the three States Bauchi, Borno and Yobe.
POPULATION COUNCIL PROJECT
This was an HIV Prevention Project for Vulnerable Youth in Northern Nigeria (The MAP Project) .The overall objective of the project was to prevent new HIV infections by promoting abstinence and mutual faithfulness through strengthening the capacities of local Nigerian organization to prevent HIV Infections among married adolescents. This target group is a large, vulnerable and neglected category of Nigerian Youth, especially the North of the country.
The strategic approach of the project undertake a community level activities designed to delay marriage as well as provide important HIV prevention services to unmarried youth, community and religious leaders, as well as women leaders. The project used a participatory, consultative approach to engage communities on sensitization topics such as early marriage, HIV/AIDS and condom use. The project operates in Adamawa, FCT, Nasarawa and Niger.
FOMWAN /NACA Project
This project was based on Improving Knowledge and attitude towards HIV/AIDS prevention, Counseling and testing among women in Pudah through income generation activities. The project was carried out five years ago for the period of five months with activities on:
- Community sensitization program for religious leaders, traditional leaders and the community members.
- Training for Islamiyya School teachers, FOMWAN Exco and Da’awah exco members on Knowledge on HIV/AIDS messaging which was targeted for islamiyya time, during Dawah, and also during any gathering.
- Also training of the peer educator was carried out on information and education on HIV/AIDs for women in purdah, young married women and selected young girls hawking who will in turn train their fellow age group who did not have opportunity to be part of the training.
- The most important of the project, Income Generation Activities for the selected groups.
The project was uniquely implemented in such a way that after the first group established benefitted, the monthly contribution from them was used to establish more groups which make more people in the community to benefit . These were monitored by a local monitoring officer in the Area
IPAS Collaboration
The collaboration between IPAS and FOMWAN to strengthen FOMWAN’s commitment to Reproductive Health and Rights issues particularly maternal health conditions into effective advocacy, existed for a long time. With this collaboration IPAS has been supporting FOMWAN to carry out sensitization programmes on awareness creation to the grass root level on reproductive health and rights in states like Kano. Kaduna. Katsina, Zamfara, and FCT.
SuNMaP I Project
The project which aimed at reducing maternal mortality focused on distribution of net and making the ACT treatment available. The project states are Kano, Anambra, Lagos, Niger, jigawa, katsina, Yobe, Enugu, Bauchi and Ogun. There was LLIN Campaign and Distribution of Net. The Campaign was aimed at Universal coverage of 2 Nets for each household by the end of 2010. About 60 Million Nets was expected to be distributed within the Project Years.
Overall role for FOMWAN within the partnership was to participate in the successful implementation of the project through responsibility, in areas where FOMWAN was operational, for mobilization, communications and behaviour promotion to ensure malaria prevention and treatment interventions universally reach and are effectively used in all households in all communities.
A subsidiary Project of management of Onchocerciasis known as RaCE was carried out in Niger State. FOMWAN was part of the Organization that implemented the project in six LGAs namely; Lapai, Rijau, Edati , Rafi, Kpaikoro and Mariga. The purpose of the project was to distribute drugs for Onchocerciasis, Malaria and diarrhoea. FOMWAN was also responsible for mobilisation and worked with CCPN using FOMWAN’s existing network to distribute Onchocerciasis , Malaria and Diarrhoea Drugs. The target population coverage was 160,000 Children (2- 15yrs)
FOMWAN/NPHCDA COLLABORATION
FOMWAN and NPHCDA have been in collaboration with NPHCDA. The aim of this collaboration was to reduce and ultimately eradicate Polio especially in Northern Nigeria while in the long term institutionalize routine immunization of children and strengthen Primary Health Care in the Country. FOMWAN used strategies that are culturally and religiously acceptable to the communities they serve while ensuring all families benefit from its services regardless of religious beliefs, ethnicity or creed.
FOMWAN / NECAIN PROJECT
NECAIN is an acronym of NELA Consortium AIDS Initiative in Nigeria. Under the initiative, the Network on Ethics/Human Rights, Law, HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care and Support (NELA) leads a consortium of Civil Society Organizations (CSO), otherwise referred Multiplier Organizations (MO), which comprises the FOMWAN, SWAAN and CISAN-NC to implement a USAID/PEPFAR supported project tagged “Strengthening Civil Society and Faith Based Organizations’ Capacity for Effective Responses to HIV/AIDS and Service Delivery in Nigeria”. These organizations came together based on principles of true partnership and a shared common vision and goals to contribute to the overall Nigeria” National Strategic Framework (NSF), which was to reduce impact of HIV/AIDS and TB in selected states, and response to HIV/AIODS. Each consortium member proved technical expertise and strength that helped in delivering the project mandate successfully
Goal of the Project
To contribute to the expansion of community level prevention, care and support services for people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS including Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) and to reduce the rate of HIV transmission among youth, couples and the general population.
POLIO IMMUNIZATION
FOMWAN participated in the September IPD polio vaccination rounds. National Supervisors were posted to the Non- Compliant States: Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe, Jigawa Kaduna and Kano. The activity was carried out in collaboration with UNICEF, CDC, NPHCDA and State Stakeholders.
FOMWAN/PACFaH
PACFaH is a project developed to improve child and family health in Nigeria through increased responsiveness, purposeful actions and accountability by the Government of Nigeria (at national and state levels) to deliver on existing pledges and initiate new reforms to increase budgets, introduce dedicated budget-lines, release funding in a timely manner, ensure judicious spending, and implement enabling policies and administrative guidelines.
FOMWAN is one of the 7 indigenous CSO’s and 3 cross-cutting organizations who are responsible for creating an enabling environment that is relevant to the conduct of evidence based advocacy. It is also responsible for the mobilization of constituencies of Religious/Traditional Leaders and women groups to support activities of issue leads. (Family Planning, Childhood killer diseases, Nutrition, Routine Immunization)
FOMWAN is also working with MNCH2 in its six northern states namely Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, Jigawa, Zamfara and Yobe in area of increasing demand for antenatal care, Hospital delivery, immunization and save space intervention, using religious leaders and women support groups.
SUNMAP2 PROJECT
This is Malaria Consortium project after SuNMap 1. It is a five year project but ended in two years due to Covid 19 Pandemic. MOU was signed by the immediate past National Amirah. FOMWAN participation was in three states viz: Jigawa, Kano and Katsina.
SUNMAP 2 was about Ownership and Sustainability after the programme must have ended.
ACHIEVEMENTS- More awareness created among our people on the issue of sustainability. Katsina State House of Assembly had included it in their next budget to create funds for the prevention and treatment of malaria. Kano and Jigawa are also working round the clock towards the sustainability.