By Amina Abubakar
The Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and the Bauchi State Government have commended volunteers under the ‘Father of Good Health’ (F4G) initiative for strengthening grassroots mobilisation to reduce childhood diseases across communities.
The commendation was given at a stakeholders’ meeting on volunteers’ activities, in Kwankial community, Darazo Local Government Area, where partners reviewed progress and community impact on Friday.
The F4G initiative, supported by GAC, promotes positive health-seeking behaviours and strengthens collaboration between communities and healthcare providers to improve maternal, newborn and child health outcomes statewide.
Mr Arash Irantalah, Head of Development Cooperation at the Canadian High Commission in Nigeria, expressed satisfaction with community engagement levels and the programme’s impact on healthcare service uptake.
Irantalah described Bauchi as progressive in healthcare uptake and reaffirmed GAC’s commitment to sustaining support for improved maternal and child health services in the state.
Mr Ibrahim Gambaki, Permanent Secretary, Bauchi State Ministry of Health, said the initiative represented a strategic approach to strengthening primary healthcare uptake at the grassroots level.
He emphasised that community-driven mobilisation remained critical to improving maternal and child health, particularly in hard-to-reach and underserved communities across the state.
Mr Abdullahi Abubakar, an F4G volunteer, said addressing non-compliance and financial constraints was essential to improving service uptake among residents.
He identified transportation challenges and misconceptions about free vaccines as major barriers, noting that some residents distrusted free immunisation services and questioned volunteers’ motives.
Abubakar said volunteers encouraged pregnant women to attend antenatal clinics, delivered in health facilities, and ensured routine immunisation for their children with support from husbands.
He added that the group, working with other community structures, had intensified social and behavioural change campaigns to counter myths and misconceptions surrounding free vaccines.
Abubakar also said Water, Sanitation and Hygiene issues formed part of F4G’s thematic focus to promote healthier living conditions in communities.
Alhaji Sulaiman Magaji, community head of Kwankial, commended the volunteers’ dedication and appreciated the state government for enabling partners to support residents on maternal and child health services.
