From the community, for the community

Volunteer community mobilizers’ network fully operational in Kebbi State, northern Nigeria

During IPDs in Zamfara State, northern Nigeria F. L. Andriamasinoro / UNICEF

KEBBI (Nigeria), 11th May 2012 – Selected from their respective settlements (villages), 200 volunteer community mobilizers (covering 200 high risk settlements) are now fully operational in Kebbi State, in northern Nigeria. Their mission is to reduce the percentage of missed children through targeted house-to-house interventions to generate demand for and acceptance of oral polio vaccine.

These volunteers have been trained to work as “change agents” in the community and are responsible for house-to-house mobilization for polio and routine immunization and introduce some key household practices. They have started to identify and characterize the chronically missed children and non-compliant parents through community friendly approach. Interpersonal counselling on immunization and promotion of key household practices such as treatment of diarrhoea, prevention of malaria, breastfeeding carried out door-to-door and person-to-person form the core of the volunteers’ work. More