Women for Health (W4H) is a five year programme that aims to address the acute shortage of female health workers in five states in northern Nigeria. W4H will address the critical health sector human resource challenges by using an approach which empowers women as service providers. Collaborating with state ministry of health and health training institutions in Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Yobe and Zamfa
ra states, W4H aims to:
- increase the production of female health workers
- improve the quality of female health worker training
- strengthen recruitment and retention of female health workers in rural health facilities
- research the need for a new cadre of health worker to support evidence-based advocacy for policy development
- engage with community and religious institutions to create a gender friendly environment for women to pursue health related career
The £24.7 million programme is one of a series of activities funded by UKaid from the Department for International Development in support of MDG 4 (the reduction of child mortality) and MDG 5 (the reduction of maternal mortality) in these states and will ultimately determine the impact of female health workers on women and children's access to health services. The work in the states will be closely co-ordinated with the Partnership for Reviving Routine Immunisation in Northern Nigeria and Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PRRINN-MNCH) programme, education programmes, government partners including Nursing and Midwifery and Community Health regulatory bodies, NPHCDA, State and LGA partners. A small national team, led by Dr Fatima Adamu and Dr Rodion Kraus, provides technical support to state-level teams, backed by a senior technical advisory group. The programme is managed by Health Partners International, Save the Children and GRID Consulting Ltd. and implemented in partnership with Clinton Health Access Initiative, Mailman School of Public Health, Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Columbia University, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, Bayero University Kano, and Advocacy Nigeria.
