IA2030 Case study 14. Ndaeyo Iwot. Building the capacities of communities

This case study is part of a series shining a light on the experiences of immunization and primary healthcare staff working at different levels of national immunization programmes in low- and middle-income countries. The people featured are all taking part in the IA2030 Movement peer learning programme organized by the Geneva Learning Foundation (TGLF).

Communities can play a critical role in improving immunization coverage, but they may need support to organize themselves and their activities.

“The Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria (FCT) includes the capital city of Nigeria, Abuja, as well as rural areas, and covers an estimated population in 2022 of more than 5 million people. Many areas are very poor, particularly in the rural areas. In studies we carried out in the 2000s, we found that more than 90% of households were living on less than US$2 a day and I don’t think the situation is very different today.

I have long been concerned about the delivery of immunization and other primary healthcare services to these populations. In 2013, the UN presented Federal Capital Territory with a second place award in the public service category for work I led on the Mailafiya initiative, which aimed to strengthen community engagement in primary health care planning and delivery. The idea behind this initiative was to use new digital technologies and intersectoral collaboration to strengthen primary healthcare and immunization services for the poorest communities.

This Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030) case study is part of the IA2030 Movement’s Knowledge-to-Action Hub. Learn more about the Hub… Learn more about the Movement…