The Rotary International District 9126 has launched a community-based child health initiative in Kwara State aimed at reducing child mortality arising from malaria, pneumonia, diarrhoea and malnutrition.
The initiative, tagged “Rotary Health Communities Challenge”, was flagged off by the Kwara State Commissioner for Health, Dr Aminat El-Imam, during a meeting with members of Rotary International District 9126 in her office in Ilorin.
El-Imam commended Rotary for its continued contribution to the state’s healthcare system, stressing that reducing child mortality required stronger collaboration between government and private organisations.
She called for increased investment by corporate organisations and other stakeholders in the health sector, particularly in health awareness and education at the grassroots.
The commissioner also urged Rotary to deploy its resources and expertise towards addressing insecurity, which she identified as one of the peculiar challenges affecting communities in the state.
She said, “There is a need for more private and corporate organisations to come into the health sector. We also need more health awareness and health education because prevention remains very important.
“Kwara has its own peculiar challenges, including insecurity, and I would like Rotary to also use its capabilities to contribute to creating a safe environment for everyone.”
Giving an overview of the initiative on behalf of the Chairperson, Prof. Khadijat Musah, District Governor Rotarian Olaniyi Okin and Secretary, Rotarian Buhari Oladimeji, explained that the programme was a multi-country initiative centred on integrated community case management.
They said the initiative would focus particularly on three major childhood illnesses — malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea — as well as malnutrition, which they said had contributed significantly to deaths among children.
According to them, the objective was to translate the priorities of the challenge into practical interventions through collaboration with government agencies, communities and frontline health workers.
Representing the District Governor, Rotarian Okin said Rotary was not seeking to establish a parallel healthcare system but to complement the existing efforts of the Kwara State Ministry of Health and the Kwara State Primary Health Care Development Agency.
He said collaboration with the state government was essential to ensure that the programme aligned with the state’s healthcare policies, priorities and primary healthcare structures.
Okin added that the programme would place particular emphasis on health promotion at the grassroots, while appreciating the state government for its existing partnership with Rotary.
He reaffirmed Rotary’s commitment to supporting initiatives designed to improve healthcare outcomes for children and families across Kwara.
The Zonal Coordinator, Rotarian Ayodeji Olagunju, said participating Rotary clubs would organise community campaigns and caregiver education in selected communities in consultation with the Ministry of Health and the Primary Health Care Development Agency.
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