By Asmau Ahmad
UNICEF’s media partners in Kaduna, Niger and Nassarawa states have resolved to form a joint monitoring team to push for the implementations of health budgets in their states.
This was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of a two-day workshop in Zaria, organized by UNICEF on media engagement in disseminating key messages of ‘Fact for Life’.
The Fact for Life, is a document developed as a vital resource that delivers essential information on prevention of diseases, injuries, violence and death of mothers and children.
It also provides information on how to help, save, improve and protect the lives of children.
According to the communiqué, the media partners will work with community and religious leaders to ensure that health interventions reach targeted groups.
“They equally agreed to produce various programmes to enlighten the public and draw the attention of government agencies and policy makers on issues affecting women and children.
“The media partners also said that they would produce various programmes with focus on the plight of women and children and ensure that it gets to the targeted audience”.
The participants agreed to partner in the production and financing of jingles, dramas and other programmes related to the plight of women and children, for broadcast across all platforms.
“We would revisit issues like harmful traditional practices and work as a team to penetrate rural and hard to reach areas to get helpful health messages to people at the grass roots.
“We would also organize programmes and forums to get men to support maternal and child health across the states. As media partners, we would equally involve children in our programmes for experience sharing, and to give them a voice as well as sensitize health workers on better services.”
Newsmen reports that UNICEF at the workshop appealed to the partners to produce and air free messages on the ‘Fact for Life’ as part of their corporate social responsibility.
