Francis Sardauna in Katsina
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has enlisted Imams, pastors and other religious leaders across the 34 local government areas of Katsina State to leverage their influence and religious platforms to promote child vaccination, nutrition, education, healthcare and protection.
The interfaith leaders were enlisted during the unveiling of UNICEF’s Faith for Life initiative in Katsina, designed to harness scriptural teachings from the Bible and Qur’an to promote behaviours that improve the survival and development of children.
Addressing the clerics, the UNICEF Social and Behavioural Change Specialist, Kano Field Office, Dr. Ogu Enemaku, said the initiative launched in collaboration with the Katsina State Government, seeks to improve children’s health, education, vaccination and protection.
He explained that the interfaith-based initiative provides relevant scriptural messages on health, nutrition, education and child protection that religious leaders should incorporate into their sermons, teachings and community engagements.
He urged the religious leaders to obtain, study and effectively utilise the Faith for Life materials to educate their followers and encourage families to make informed decisions on issues affecting the wellbeing of women and children across the state.
Also speaking, the Deputy Director, Community Outreach and Development, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Abuja, Amaka Aninta, challenged religious leaders to leverage their platforms to prevent avoidable deaths among children and pregnant women.
She said when religious teachings emphasise on the protection and wellbeing of mothers and children no child will die from vaccine-preventable diseases and no expectant mother will lose her life due to poor access to antenatal care or malnutrition.
She therefore urged the religious leaders to lead campaigns encouraging parents to vaccinate their children, pregnant women to attend antenatal care and families to take action against malnutrition and other challenges affecting mothers and children.
She admonished the enlisted religious leaders to also use Friday prayers, Islamic schools and church services to sensitise their communities on child protection, family welfare and responsible parenting.
Earlier, the Acting Executive Secretary of the Katsina State Primary Health Care Agency, Dr. Shema’u Kabir Abba, described religious leaders as “special guides and advocates” and critical partners in driving positive behavioural change in communities.
She said the government could not address the challenges confronting primary healthcare alone, stressing that influential and respected voices within communities were needed to improve maternal and child health and nutrition outcomes.
She commended the religious leaders for their continued partnership with the government and urged them to sustain their support for initiatives aimed at strengthening healthcare delivery across the state.