By Asma’u Ahmad
The Katsina State Government and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have introduced Viewers / Listeners Clubs (VLCs) as part of efforts to check health related challenges in rural areas of the state.
Inaugurating the clubs on Tuesday in Katsina, the State Health Educator, Hajiya Binta Hussain, said that the project was aimed at assisting relevant authorities to tackle health challenges facing rural populace in the state.
Governor Aminu Bello Masari
She said members of the clubs were expected to provide on-the-spot report of events in their immediate environment to the authorities for prompt action. Hajiya Binta said that each club, which was made up of 20 members, would be given a multi-band radio sets fitted with flash drives to monitor radio programmes on any health related issue affecting rural communities.
She explained that the group members would make their contributions on such programmes with a view to have a feedback to the relevant authorities for prompt action. “Members of the clubs are expected to disseminate information generated during the programme to the wider communities starting from people within their immediate sphere of influence,” she said.
The health educator further said that special attention would be given in choosing a meeting place which should be as neutral as possible.
UNICEF representative, Mr. Anson Zwan, said that a total of 960 VLCs members were proposed for state under the project. He said that the clubs would be free from any form of affiliation. “As a matter of necessity, the clubs will be free of any political, religious or any other form of affiliation,” he said.
