German Development Ministry Approves Co-Funding for RFPD “Nationwide Family Planning Campaign in Nigeria”

Following an extensive four-month evaluation process, the application for German government co-funding for the “Nationwide Family Planning Campaign in Nigeria” has now been approved. The total project budget of 2.25 million Euro was made possible through the support of RFPD members and the generous contributions of hundreds of clubs and nearly all Rotary districts in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Nigeria.

With the final budget approved, local midwives and Rotarians are now working to organize community dialogues throughout the country. These dialogues will provide a platform to discuss the still widely prevalent myths and misconceptions about family planning, as well as related topics such as child spacing and child marriage. A focus is placed in these discussions on the participation of men in family planning decision making and a standardized manual is used to ensure consistent quality. Reports for each dialogue are submitted through an innovative digital system which allows for subsequent analysis and program adjustments.    

Family planning provider trainings for doctors, midwives, nurses and community health workers (CHEWs) are now also being implemented in all 36 Nigerian states. The “training of trainers” model is used to realize a wider impact, with an initial group of professionals trained as “master trainers” to teach others through subsequent training events. The long-term goal is to ensure that every hospital in the country has at least one professional family planning provider skilled in client consultation and the use of appropriate family planning methods. Trainings are developed by state-sponsored trainers from the reproductive health department of the respective state ministries and in accordance with official Nigerian health policy guidelines. To assist in the avoidance of contraceptive stock-outs, a digital system for the tracking and quantification of health center supplies is now being tested.

The expansion of family planning service coverage, especially in rural areas, is a crucial facet in the realization of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the success of the Sustainable Development Goals.