NGO woos 110,000 nursing mothers with cash in Jigawa

A total of 110,000 nursing mothers in Jigawa State have benefited from an initiative that gives cash reward for mothers that present their babies for routine immunization.

The non-governmental organisation championing the initiative, All Babies Are Equal, said the move was part of the strategy to encourage nursing mothers to immunize their children.

The Stakeholders Relationship Director of the organisation, Nura Muhammad, revealed this when he paid a courtesy visit to Jigawa State Governor, Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, in Dutse.

He said under the programme, caregivers receive N500 for each of the first four routine immunization visit and N2,000 for the fifth immunization visit.

“We have evidence that the cash transfer initiative contributed to the increase of routine immunization coverage with 26% from the commencement of the programme in 2018 to 2020”, he said.

Governor Badaru described the initiative as an example of human capital development investment that could enhance social and economic development of any society.

He promised to keep collaborating with the organisation and other donor partners to improve public healthcare service delivery for achieving sustainable social and economic development in the state.

A report from the state Ministry of Health revealed that as a result of series of interventions, effective strategy and collaboration with partners and other stakeholders, the state had a change in immunization coverage from seven per cent in 2012 to 93 per cent in 2020.