The Center for Communication and Social Impact (CCSI), through its Faith and Cultural Champions (FCC) Project, has intensified efforts to reduce maternal and newborn deaths in Kaduna State by promoting childbirth spacing and improved maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) practices.
The intervention, implemented in partnership with the Ummulkhairi Foundation, targets young married adolescents, husbands, mothers-in-law, and traditional and religious leaders to drive behavioral change at the community level.
Speaking during a sensitization program in the Karatudu community on Monday, Chairperson of the Ummulkhairi Foundation and Implementing Faith and Cultural Champion (IFCC), Hajiya Maryam Sani, said the initiative was designed to educate residents on the health benefits of spacing births and the importance of accessing quality healthcare services during pregnancy and childbirth.
She explained that the program seeks to curb the rising incidence of maternal and newborn deaths linked to poor health practices and inadequate utilization of healthcare facilities.
According to Sani, women who fail to space pregnancies adequately face increased health risks, while closely spaced births can also negatively affect children’s health and development.
She noted that pregnancy spacing and hospital deliveries could significantly reduce complications such as prolonged labor and obstetric conditions, including vesicovaginal fistula (VVF).
“We are encouraging women to access healthcare facilities while also engaging traditional and religious leaders because they play a critical role in influencing decisions that affect women’s health and wellbeing,” she said.
Sani explained that Karatudu was selected for the intervention because of the community’s existing engagement structures and previous interactions that identified persistent maternal and family health challenges.
She added that the program had already recorded encouraging outcomes, with strong community participation and positive feedback from residents and local leaders.
According to her, although the organizers initially planned for about 80 participants, the turnout exceeded expectations.
Also speaking, a member of the Advisory Faith and Cultural Champions (AFCC) Team, Dr. Zainab Muhammad-Idris, said the initiative aimed to drastically reduce maternal and newborn mortality through sustained awareness of childbirth spacing.
She commended community leaders for embracing the program, describing their support as a demonstration of commitment to improving family health and community wellbeing.
According to her, healthier families would contribute to sustainable development and nurture responsible future generations.
The Village Head of Karatudu, Alhaji Isyaku Adamu, praised the organizers for bringing the awareness campaign to the community.
He said the sensitization had significantly improved residents’ understanding of maternal health and pledged that families would apply the knowledge gained to improve childbirth spacing practices.
Similarly, the community’s Woman Leader, Mrs. Esther Ayuba, said the program would help families, especially those facing economic challenges, make informed reproductive health decisions.
She pledged to extend the awareness campaign to neighboring communities to broaden its impact.
Ayuba also appealed to donors and development partners to provide free childbirth spacing commodities to improve access to reproductive health services.
A Community Health Worker, Hajara Abubakar, urged couples to embrace childbirth spacing as a practical way to protect maternal and child health while easing economic pressures on families.
Participants described the sensitization as enlightening and impactful.
Mrs. Docas Zinable said the program had deepened her understanding of the dangers associated with closely spaced pregnancies, while another participant, Mrs. Naomi Mika, pledged to share the knowledge with women in her household and others who were unable to attend.
A total of 116 community members benefited from the sensitization program.
SOURCE: NAN
