Sokoto

USAID supports fistula prevention, repair and reintegration in seven states in Nigeria

Obstetric fistula (obstructed labor) is a serious maternal health concern in Nigeria.

Access to quality reproductive health and family planning services remain poor in Nigeria. The 2008 edition of the Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) indicates that only 9.7 percent of married women use a modern method of contraception, while 20% of women have an unmet need for family planning services. With access to information on methods to delay and space births, family planning unmet needs tend to increase as more women want to use contraception.

Sesame Street, an award-winning television series created by Sesame Workshop, is a shared experience for children throughout the world.  With more than 120 million viewers, Sesame Street is regarded as the largest informal educator of young children. The television series is committed to the principle that all children deserve a chance to learn and grow; to be prepared for school; to better understand the world and each other; to think, dream and discover; and to reach their highest potential.

Nigerian civil society organizations have a powerful voice and their advocacy efforts continue to be very successful. However, these organizations continue to face challenges due to weak capacity.  Most national advocacy civil society organizations (CSOs) have small membership bases and weak links to local associations, resulting in missed opportunities to support better-informed media coverage of critical policy issues and to promote balanced, objective coverage of controversial topics.

A well-trained media improves citizens’ understanding and participation in the democratic process, particularly on development issues, such as education and health care, transparency and accountability in governance, and better delivery of basic services.