As part of its ongoing commitment to advancing maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) and scaling up adolescent immunization coverage, the Silver Lining for the Needy Initiative Team conducted a field mission to Nasarawa State from 20th to 21st May 2025. The visit aimed to carry out outreach activities and conduct VITAL Project supervision focusing on the HPV vaccine across selected Primary Health Care facilities.
The mission was led by Miss Aisha Ushata Isa, supported by:
• Miss Maryam
• Mr Bernard
• Mr Miracle
Areas Covered: Karu and Keffi LGAs
The team began the mission in Primary Healthcare facilities across Karu and Keffi LGAs, reviewing HPV vaccination data records and engaging with frontline health workers. Each facility provided access to immunization registers, where the team reviewed the number of HPV vaccines administered to adolescent girls between January and April 2025. PHC Staff shared valuable insights on uptake trends, community awareness, cold-chain support and challenges.
As part of the MNCH outreach, 22 clean birthing kits and supplements were distributed to pregnant women at Koroduma PHC, aimed at ensuring safer deliveries and reducing the risk of maternal and neonatal infections.
PHCs Visited in Karu LGA:
• New Karu PHC
PHCs Visited in Keffi LGA:
The outreach focused on educating expectant mothers, empowering PHC workers and distributing birthing kits to expectant mothers aimed at promoting safe delivery practices. These activities are key to SLNI’s goal of reducing maternal and newborn mortality.
• Provide health education focused on maternal and newborn care.
• Distribute birthing kits to expectant mothers to encourage safe deliveries.
• Strengthen collaboration with PHC workers for improved MNCH service delivery.
• Capture feedback from beneficiaries and frontline health workers to shape future
interventions.
HEALTH EDUCATION SESSIONS WITH MOTHERS
Topics Covered:
• Family Planning: Discussed methods and benefits of family planning to space out
pregnancies, ensuring better health for mothers and children.
• Maternal Nutrition: Emphasized the importance of proper nutrition for pregnant women
to ensure the health and development of the fetus.
• Exclusive Breastfeeding: Highlighted the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding for the first
six months of a child’s life.
• Routine Immunization: Educated mothers on the importance of immunizing their
children against preventable diseases.
• Personal and Environmental Hygiene: Highlighted practices to maintain cleanliness to
prevent infections and diseases.
• Antenatal and Postnatal Care: Provided guidance on the care needed before and after
childbirth to ensure the health and well-being of both mother and baby.
DISTRIBUTION OF BIRTHING KITS
Contents: Each kit contained antiseptic soap, examination gloves, Underlay pad, mucus
extractors, umbilical cord strings, surgical blades, surgical gloves and gauze.
Areas Covered: Lafia
PHCs Visited:
• Bukan Sidi PHC:
The team assessed HPV vaccine coverage and interacted with health workers on data quality and outreach strategies.
In addition to supervising the immunization process, the SLNI team administered the HPV vaccine to 2 girls as encouraged by the facility health and the representative from Nasarawa state Primary Healthcare Development Agency who joined the team during the supervision, reinforcing the importance of early prevention against cervical cancer and supporting the VITAL Project’s goals.
• PHC Doma:
56 birthing kits were distributed to expectant mothers. Furthermore, one sample birthing kit was officially handed over to the Nasarawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency representative as a demonstration tool for future education and advocacy.
MNCH outreach at Doma Road PHC
Despite initial plans to engage with state-level stakeholders in the Ministry of Health and Primary Health Care Board, the team was unable to meet with them due to their absence, as they were attending an immunization training workshop in Abuja during the period of the visit. Nonetheless, the SLNI team documented all findings and will follow up with stakeholders through virtual engagement and official reporting.
KEY OUTCOMES
• Supervisory oversight of HPV vaccine implementation in seven PHC facilities across three LGAs.
• Vaccination of 2 adolescent girls at Ungwan Shalele PHC.
• 75 birthing kits distributed in total:
• Koroduma PHC – 22 kits
• PHC Doma – 53 kits
• Strengthened relationships with PHC frontline workers and improved data tracking for adolescent immunization.
Held at Koroduma PHC in New Karu, this outreach reached pregnant women from surrounding rural settlements. The focus was on maternal health education and birth preparedness. Key components included:
• Awareness sessions on antenatal care (ANC), danger signs in pregnancy, safe delivery practices, and postpartum care.
• Individual counseling on nutrition, hygiene, and emotional well-being during pregnancy.
Distribution of clean birthing kits containing sterile gloves, soap, razor blades, gauze, Underlay pad, and Mucus extractor.
53 birthing kits were distributed to expectant mothers, prioritizing mothers nearing their delivery dates and those attending regular antenatal. A symbolic handover of one kit was made to the Nasarawa State Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) representative in recognition of their collaboration.
This field mission demonstrated SLNI’s ongoing dedication to reaching underserved populations with critical health services. The team successfully advanced both MNCH and adolescent immunization objectives, contributing to the goals of Universal Health Coverage and SD
