Advocacy Group Seeks Adequate Funding For Family Planning Activities In Jigawa

…Says Demand for FP Services Up by 70%

By Mohammed Abubakar Dutse

The Challenge Initiative (TCI), an Advocacy Group dedicated to enlightening communities on the advantages of child spacing has tasked the Jigawa state government to be committed to releasing it’s counterpart funding to boost the activities of family planning initiative in the state.

However, while the group noted the state government’s incremental increase in the budgetary allocations for family planning purposes, it expressed concern that releasing the allocated funds had become a herculian task due to what it called absence of the enabling legal instrument that would guide the release of such funds.

The appeal was made during a roundtable discussion between TCI and the Media Working Group in Jigawa State held in Dutse Capital in preparation for TCI’s transition after three years of intervention in Jigawa State.

The group called on the government and communities to take ownership in sustaining campaigns for child spacing and improving access to reproductive healthcare services for tackling the high rate of maternal and child mortality in the state.

The meeting, which facilitated by Development Communications (DEVCOMS), reviewed the progress made during the three-year campaign, which focused on demand generation and enhancing family planning services across the state.

The government in particular was tasked to scale up its funding to enable the government sustain the objective of the programme, as the group exits the state after about three years of vigorous sensitization of the citizens’ across the 13 out of the 27 local government councils of the state.

Ankale Kongude, TCI Programme Manager in Jigawa, who reviewed the activities of the body within the period under review explained that the intervention identified key focus areas, including advocacy, data management, capacity building for service providers, community engagement, and demand generation for family planning.

“For our project, we selected seven local government areas, providing direct intervention across 37 facilities. We also supported the government in scaling up efforts. As a result, demand for family planning services has increased by 60 to 70% compared to previous records,” he said.

“We commend the media for their dedication, particularly through facility visits and field reports that revealed the true situation on the ground. Their rigorous public enlightenment campaigns have also helped dispel many misconceptions about family planning.”

“Today, rural women have become advocates for family planning within their communities. However, the growing demand has strained supply, with most facilities experiencing stockouts for over two weeks each month.”

“Our engagement with rural communities has even inspired some young girls to enroll in health training programs, equipping them to assist their peers in promoting hygiene and accessing available healthcare services.”

“While we celebrate these successes, we are working diligently during this transition phase to ensure the state government sustains these gains and continues engaging communities for better outcomes,” TCI stated.

Speaking on behalf of the Media Working Group, Comrade Muhammad Zangina Kura, Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel, pledged continued collaboration with partners and the government to raise awareness about the importance of family planning and reproductive healthcare services in reducing maternal and child mortality.

Kura noted that TCI’s intervention significantly strengthened demand generation and accessibility for family planning and other reproductive healthcare services in the state.

He emphasized that maternal and child mortality remains a major public health concern in Jigawa State and commended TCI for complementing the government’s efforts in addressing the issue.

“With support from DEVCOMS, the media was actively engaged throughout TCI’s intervention in Jigawa State. We have learned valuable lessons from this partnership and believe that through collaborative efforts and genuine commitment, misconceptions and challenges surrounding family planning can be overcome,” Comrade Zangina stated.

The Media Working Group also urged the government to increase budgetary allocations and ensure timely release of funds for the purchase of family planning commodities to meet the growing demand in public health facilities.