Pulse.ng : Health: NOA, UNICEF train 46 clerics on “Faith for Life” in Kaduna

By Sani Idris

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) and UNICEF collaborated to train
46 Muslim and Christain clerics in Kaduna on “Faith for Life (F4L)”, focusing on the importance of healthy women and children.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that F4L, written as handbook, leverages on the influence of Islam and Christianity,
where it provide recommendations on how parents and caregivers can promote child survival and development through their behaviours.

The F4L handbook, endorsed by national religious leaders, contain carefully selected verses from the Holy Qur’an and the Holy Bible
that relate to infant and young child feeding, protection, nutrition, education, disease prevention, hygiene and sanitation.

All of these, provide spiritual basis for the promotion of childhood developmental issues and challenges across Nigeria.

The religious leaders at the two-day training, centred on best practices to avoid diphtheria, Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and yellow fever
had in attendance, both Muslim and Christain leaders across the 23 local government areas of the state.

The NOA State Director, Alhaji Hamisu Abubakar, at the end of the training on Tuesday stressed the need for religious leaders to create awareness.

He said that the agency is saddled with the responsibility of consistently raising awareness, positive attitudinal changes, values and behaviours,
accurately and adequately informing and sufficiently mobilising citizens to act in ways that promotes national development.

Abubakar said NOA holds religious leaders in high esteem because they play vital role in ensuring that developmental programmes are understood
by followers and Nigerians in general.

He explained that HPV infection, diphtheria and yellow fever are leading health problems and cause death in many parts of the world,
Nigeria is no exception.

He added that the training on F4L is to educate religious leaders on dangers of diseases so they can disseminate same to their followers
to ensure prevention in the various denominations and divides.

Abubakar urged the participants to preach positive messages of vaccine to promote child survival and development in their respective communities.

Amaka Aninta, NOA’s Assistant Director of Programmes in Abuja, said “the F4L uses scriptural verses to discuss issues and creates awareness
on maternal mortality and child development.”

She added that religious leaders are key to the development of the country and children’s wellbeing.

Aninta said “NOA is leveraging on the F4L initiative to drive behavioural change by making religious leaders see the need to preach
issues related to maternal, child health and survival.

“We want them to always talk about breastfeeding, nutrition and other practices that can promote healthy wellbeing; in developing countries
like Nigeria, we still have issues of non-acceptance of vaccination.

“In children, we also see death of children under five years due to incomplete dosage of immunisation.”

She explained that the F4L harps on doing the right thing by mothers during pregnancy, after delivery and how to nurture children.

She added that the F4L also advocates the rights of child to school.

Earlier, UNICEF’s Consultant on Tradition and Religious Leaders, Malam Khalifa Abdullahi, spoke on preventive measures of the diseases.

He decried the lackadaisical attitude of some people to vaccination, stressing that immunisation is the safest means of prevention.

Abdullahi said there are vaccination centres in parts of the state where religious leaders are expected to educate their followers on the need for vaccination.

A resource person, Malam Abubakar Lawal, said that whatever is contained in the F4L is contained in the two holy books.

He said that the teachings of the F4L as being taught to Muslim religious leaders, is strengthned by Qur’anic verses or the sayings of the Holy Prophet.

Lawal, who is a member of NOA’s Technical Working Group, said many traditional beliefs on child and mothers care have been made to supercede
religion, noting that the training is to correct the beliefs.

Rev. Adeyemo Samuel, the National Technical Working Group Officer for UNICEF and NOA on F4L, said religious leaders are opinion leaders.

He, therefore, urged the Christain faithful to use the pulpit in disseminating the message of proper child and mother care for healthy wellbeing
as entailed in the F4L. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)