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Society for Family Health
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Program
Focus: |
HIV/AIDS, malaria, reproductive
health,
child survival |
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Target
Regions: |
Nationwide |
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Target
Population: |
Focus on youth, low-income groups and vulnerable high-risk groups
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| 2006 Estimated Health Impact: |
Unintended pregnancies averted: 1.2 million
(explained)
Episodes of malaria averted: 1.6 million
(explained)
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Products: |
LifeStyles Condoms since 2006
Plana CycleBeads Natural Child Spacing using Standard Day Method
since 2006
Larimal (ACT) Artemisinin Combination
Therapy for Malaria since 2006
Supanet long lasting insecticide-treated nets since
2005
Permanet long lasting insecticide-treated nets
since 2004
Waterguard safe water treatment since 2004
Lubrica lubricant since 2003
KidCare (Chloroquine) malaria pre-packaged
therapy since 2003
Duofem (formerly Confidence) oral contraceptives
since 2001
Postinor 2 emergency contraceptives since
1999
Noristerat injectable contraceptive since 1995
Depo-Provera injectable contraceptive since 1995
Gold Circle male condoms since 1990
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Local
Collaboration: |
SFH collaborates with the National Action Committee
on AIDS , Federal Ministries of Health, Water Resources
and Women Affairs. Others include the National Agency Food and
Drug Administration and Control , ActionAid International,
Crown Agents, Pathfinder International, Oil and Telecommunications
outfits, uniformed services, civil society and faith-based organizations
as well as other international and local organizations and public
entities.
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Current
Donors: |
British Department for International
Development (DFID)
The Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis
and Malaria (Global Fund)
Private and corporate donors
U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID)
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| Year Program Began: |
1985 |
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Project Activities and Highlights
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HIV/AIDS
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Focus on Youth
SFH implements a comprehensive social marketing program that improves
reproductive and sexual health with special emphasis on
youth. In 2004, it developed a popular youth campaign Zip Up
in collaboration
with FBOs to promote abstinence and delay in sexual debut. This
Zip Up campaign was so popular that Nigerian youths have adopted
it as life style anthem. Since 2005, SFHs partnership with BBC
World Service Trust has helped increase
mass media outputs for HIV prevention, especially with the development
of youth specific targeted and designed campaigns such as Flava
and Ya Take Ne? which address issues raised from community
level intervention interactions. In 2006, efforts increased to
target Female Out of School Youths especially in the predominantly
hard to reach northern parts
of Nigeria.
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Peer Education Plus
Nigerias President Obasanjo expressed the Nigerian government
support of SFH programs when he launched the Peer
Education Plus (PEP) in 2006 as part of
activities marking the World AIDS Day. The
PEP Model is a replicable, scaleable and cost effective model
that uses well-developed participatory approaches to behavior
change. It engages at-risk populations in the process of
developing positive behaviors. It is a community level strategy
that was implemented in 112 low-income, high-risk community sites
in Nigeria. Following its exit strategy and handing the program
over to trained community-based organizations, scale up activities
have commenced in various other communities. The PEP Model has
the
potential
of
being a
global guide that could be used for effective community level
interventions that facilitate the adoption and maintenance of
healthy behaviors . |
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Stakeholder Collaboration
SFH's HIV program has many stakeholders who
have put HIV policies in place and are at different stages of
implementing specific internally driven programs that address
issues such as prevention, stigma and discrimination, care and
support. These groups include faith-based organizations Muslim
and Christian, including contemporary and youth attracting
faith groups. Other collaborations include networks and coalitions
of people living with HIV/AIDS as well as youth serving
organizations, policy makers, uniformed services, and corporate
entities. |
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Workplace Intervention
The Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) (Coca Cola) Project 2004
2005 was designed to increase knowledge and awareness
about HIV; increase personal perception of risk; increase correct
and consistent condom use;
decrease the level of
stigmatization
surrounding HIV and STIs and increased knowledge about
voluntary counseling and testing. The Exxon Mobil project trained
peer educators for workplace outreach. SFH provided technical
support for surveys,
peer
education, drama, condom logistics, education material production
and distribution. Shell Petroleum Development Company and Chevron
HIV/AIDS Prevention Programs are targeted at building the capacities
of employees
to effectively increase access to HIV prevention, care and
treatment among their fellow colleagues. Strategies include
peer education; condom distribution and training of trainers.
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Targeting Transport Workers
The Maiduguri Port Harcourt transport corridor project is a targeted
intervention program that cuts across Nigeria. This project
was conceived to add
value
and
sustain the existing behaviour change
efforts aimed at reaching transport workers and their support
staff. 76-trained Corridor Marshals (two at
each identified transport stop,) act as peer educators and
conduct interpersonal communications.
Combined, these
marshals reach an average of two thousand truckers every month.
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Condom Social Marketing
SFH has consistently promoted its Gold Circle brand
of condom in Nigeria since 1990. From modest sales of 55 million
in 1995,
it sold 160 million pieces in 2005 thus providing 74% of the
total condom market share in Nigeria. In 2006,
SFH introduced LifeStyles into the
Nigerian market as an up market alternative to the segment
of the condom market.
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Behavior Change Communications (BCC)
"One Thing at a Time" Radio drama serial continues to run in four Nigerian
languages Pidgin English, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, and is listened to by 35%
of Nigerians aged 15 to 29. Mass media campaigns on a variety of issues include
delaying teenage sexual debut and partner reduction. Touring street theatre educates
about safer sex, abstinence and HIV prevention.
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Research
The National AIDS and Reproductive Health Survey (NARHS) provides information
on levels of HIV preventive knowledge and behavior; sexually transmitted
diseases and VCT.
The High Risk Audience Survey is the follow up study among high-risk
groups in Nigeria - sex workers, transport
workers, members of the Armed forces and the Police and unmarried youth
aged 15 to 24 years.
Project PLACE Survey (Priorities for Local AIDS Control Efforts) is a rapid
assessment tool used to monitor and improve HIV prevention programs' coverage
in areas where HIV transmission is likely to occur.
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Malaria
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Artemisin-based Combination Therapy (ACT)
In January 2006, SFH initiated the first social marketed anti-malarial
treatment based on ACT
in the commercial sector in Nigeria. With substantial
new sources of public funding for malaria due to come on-stream
in
2006,
SFH looks forward to expanding
its support to the Ministry of Health in targeting effective
malaria prevention and treatment products throughout Nigeria. |
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Long Lasting Insecticid-Treated Nets (LLINS)
In 2005, SFH launched LLINs
through the commercial sector and a pilot antenatal and child
welfare clinic delivery system targeting malaria risk groups
with heavily subsidized LLINs. |
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Prepackaged Anti-Malarial Treatment
Since 2003, with initial start-up funds from PSI and subsequent
support from USAID and DFID, SFH has been distributing KidCare
(Chloroquine) and Fansidar (Sulphadoxine/ Pyrimethamine) prepackaged
malaria treatments. In just over two years, SFH has distributed
more than 3.3 million prepackaged anti-malarial treatments to
children under five years. SFH sits on the National Antimalarial
Drug Policy Implementation Transition Committee and has been
instrumental in developing Nigeria's
ACT policy. |
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Reproductive Health
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Family Planning (FP)
SFH distributes an estimated 74% of the contraceptives in Nigeria.
Mass media campaigns on a variety of FPissues include
knowledge on modern methods and barriers to adopting child spacing,
and touring street theatre educates on FP. |
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Improved Reproductive Health In Nigeria
The Improved Reproductive Health In Nigeria (IRHIN) Project is
the first direct US grant given to any Nigerian NGO. It is a
five-year cooperative agreement between USAID/Nigeria
and SFH that aims to improve the health and quality of life
among Nigerians by increasing the use of reproductive health
products and services among women of reproductive age using four
outputs:
- Improved quality of reproductive health services;
- A strengthened enabling environment;
- Expanded demand for improved reproductive health products and
services;
- Increased access to reproductive health products, services and
materials. |
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Promoting Sexual & Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS
Reduction
PSRHH in Nigeria supports the Federal Ministry of Health
in the production of a national behavior change strategy for
Reproductive Health and Family Planning awareness in Nigeria.
To contribute to an enabling environment for Child spacing amongst
FBOs, SFH engages with FBOs and has supported FBO specific activities
targeted at reaching religious faith adherents at the faith groups
levels and also supports the Religious Leaders Consultative Forum
on Maternal Mortality Rate Reduction at the national level.
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Research
The National AIDS and Reproductive Health Survey (NARHS) also provide information
on levels of sexual behavior and reproductive health issues including family
planning and female circumcision; gender violence and behavior. Findings
from the 2005 monitoring tables indicate that Belief that condoms offer
effective dual protection against STIs/HIV and unwanted pregnancy as well
as womens confidence to negotiate condom use with boyfriends rose from
74% in 2003 to about 91% in 2005 and 45% in 2003 to 81% in 2005 respectively. |
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Child Survival
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Safe Water
The Nigerian National Water Supply and Sanitation Policy was adopted in 2000
make accessibility to adequate water and sanitation the right of every
Nigerian. Despite this, one in every three Nigerians still do not have
access to improved water supply, thus diarrhea diseases remain a leading
cause of death second only to malaria, for children under five years
of age. SFH through it Maternal and Child Health programme is working to
reduce the high incidence of morbidity and mortality associated with diarrhea
diseases by improving household water quality through the use of WaterGuard,
which is intended to reduce the unacceptable high incidence of death among
Nigerian children arising from consumption of poor quality water. |
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Future Plans
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With substantial new sources of public
funding elicited by the confidence in its abilities due to impressive
and result oriented program implementation and resource management
SFH remains the leading Nigerian public health focused NGO. It
is both a Principal Recipient (PR) and Sub Recipient (SR) to the
Round 5 of Global Funds made available to Nigeria. There are also
potentials of increased funding for malaria programming. SFH has
undoubtedly positioned itself as the darling of donors targeting
Nigeria. While its staff exhibit a high sense of professional competence,
their fears remain their inability to say no to new funding and
collaborations. It continues to expand its support to the government
of Nigerian in targeting effective HIV, RH and malaria prevention
and treatment as well as product supply and distribution throughout
Nigeria. It plans to introduce at least five new products into
the Nigerian market in 2007.
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Society for Family Health materials offer
advice on the prevention of HIV/AIDS.
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One of PSI's most successful programs, Society for Family Health
raises awareness of healthier lifestyles with events like
this youth rally.
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