DECLARATION OF ACTION AFTER 2-DAY MENTORSHIP TRAINING FOR MEDIA CHAMPIONS IN CHILD AND FAMILY HEALTH ORGANISED BY CIVIL SOCIETY LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY CENTRE (CISLAC) IN COLLABORATION WITH PARTNERSHIP FOR ADVOCACY IN CHILD AND FAMILY HEALTH (PACFaH) HELD AT CHIMCHERRY HOTEL, KADUNA STATE ON 11TH AND 12TH MAY, 2016

Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) in collaboration with Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health (PACFaH) held 2-Day Mentorship Training for Media Champions in Child and Family Health. The training held at Chimcherry Hotel, Kaduna state on 11th and 12th May, 2016 was attended by about 15 media champions working in child and family health. The session aimed to bring reputable media champions advocating for, and demanding accountability in child and family health across PACFaH focal states, under one roof for a training on prioritizing and amplifying child and family health issues—Nutrition, Routine Immunisation, Family Planning and management of childhood killer diseases, in the forefront of the media coverage and reportage. After exhaustive deliberations on various thematic issues, we the participants:

Recognise that adequate and sustainable funding for routine immunisation remains paramount to ensure appropriate vaccination, reduce rising deaths of children under-5 and avert resurgence of polio virus; effective implementation of National Strategic Plan of Action on Nutrition (NSPAN) will prevent high burden of malnutrition; adoption and effective implementation of: National Blue Print on Family Planning will avert preventable maternal deaths; and recommended guidelines (such as Amoxicillin Dispersible Tablets and Zinc/Lo-ORS) as first line treatment of pneumonia and diarrhoea by the United Nations Commission on Life-Saving Commodities (UNCoLSC) will prevent the death of children under-5.

Also recognise that dwindling budgetary allocation, poor political commitment and awareness, delay in the release of fund, over-dependent on donor funding are impending challenges confronting sustainable routine immunisation, adequate nutrition status, contraceptive prevalent rate, and treatment of childhood killer diseases at all levels.

Express concern over lack of political will to fulfil various commitments to child and family health; existing socio-cultural challenges backpedalling appropriate practices on nutrition, family planning, under-reported cases of pneumonia and diarrhoea as the major killers of children under-5.

Also express concern over political reluctant to collaborate with the media; and inadequate media-political awareness on child and family health related issues.

Note that in Nigeria, malnutrition contributes to 1 out of every 2 child death, 1 out of 8 under-5 children die before 5th year from childhood killer diseases, 1 in every 13 women die from pregnancy related complications; and exclusive breastfeeding practices would help to mitigate high malnutrition burden and childhood killer diseases at all levels.

Also note exploring alternative sources of fund through revenue expansion from commercialised agricultural practices would help to bridge funding gaps in child and family health at all levels.

Further note that evidence-based and investigative journalism would inform accurate reportage, effective data analysis and interpretation for adequate public awareness, and political commitment towards child and family health in Nigeria.

Affirm to the creation of budget line for the procurement and administration of life-saving commodities, operationalization of the NSPAN and National Family Planning Blue Print.

Commit to intensify public awareness, raise political consciousness towards adequate and sustainable funding for routine immunisation, nutrition, family planning and treatment of childhood killer diseases at all levels through evidence-based journalism and appropriate agenda setting for relevant stakeholders.

Also commit to educate the women on rights to appropriate child spacing methodology, project the socio-economic benefits of family planning, and demand the adoption and full implementation of National Blue Print on Family Planning through comparative data analysis, persistent and well-informed advocacy to the relevant stakeholders at all levels.

Will prioritise public education and enlightenment, especially for men to restore women’s rights and dignity on health and family planning through synergy with civil society groups to create a formidable force demanding accountability in child family health

Shall effectively engage, track and monitor budgetary processes to advocate and demand accountability on adequate funding for child and family health through budget analysis, information management, investigative journalism, verifiable facts and figures, factual and human-angle reportage.

Will support the on-going lobby-free advocacy by PACFaH in the country through factual reporting and constructive engagement with relevant stakeholders

Signed:

Haruna Gimba Yaya

Daily Trust Newspapers, Kano

Eze Nkechi

Newspeg Magazine, Abuja

Suzan Edeh

Vanguard Newspapers, Bauchi state

Salihi Abubakar

Leadership Newspapers, Kano state

Ijeoma Ukazu

Abuja Enquirer Newspapers, Lagos

Falalu Suleiman

Radio Niger

Umar Muhammed

Punch Newspapers, Nasarawa state

Ahmed Kaigama

Peoples Daily Newspapers, Bauchi

Mary Jalingo

Newsline Newspapers, Niger state

Gabriel Oluwale

Vanguard Newspapers, Lagos state

Salihu Mohammed Alkali

FRCN, Nasarawa state

Abdullahi Muhammed

Newsdairy online, Abuja

COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF A 2-DAY TRAINING FOR CSOs ON LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY IN CHILD AND FAMILY HEALTH ORGANIZED BY THE CIVIL SOCIETY LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY CENTRE (CISLAC) WITH SUPPORT FROM PARTNERSHIP FOR ADVOCACY IN CHILD AND FAMILY HEALTH (PACFaH) HELD AT CHESTERFIELD HOTEL, LAGOS ON THURSDAY 19TH AND FRIDAY 20TH MAY, 2016.

PREAMBLE:

Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) with support from Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health (PACFaH) organized a 2-day training for CSOs on legislative advocacy in child and family health. The training aims at bringing selected and reputable civil society organisations across focal states—Kano, Kaduna, Oyo, Bauchi, FCT, Nasarawa, Niger and Lagos states under one roof for training on appropriate skills and knowledge to effectively demand accountability in child and family health (Nutrition, Routine Immunisation, Family Planning and Childhood killer diseases) from the legislatures. The meeting drew about 30 participants from various organisations. It featured Mallam Y.Z Ya’u, Mrs. M.O Shobowale, Barr. Onyekachi Asogwa, Dr. Francis Ohanyido and other PACFaH issue leads. After exhaustive deliberations on various thematic issues, the following observations and recommendations were made: 

Observations:

1.      While legislative advocacy is a deliberate process with demonstrated evidence to indirectly influence the legislators to support or pass a specific legislation, lobbying aims at directly influencing the legislators to support or pass a specific legislation.

2.      As the United States donor agencies under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 are totally disallowed from lobby activities, all grantees of the agencies must uphold and strictly adhere to the lobby-free provisions in their related programmes and activities.

3.      The primary responsibilities of the legislators include lawmaking, oversight function, representation, constituency outreach, financial control, confirmation of appointment, and constitutional amendment.

4.      Related child and family health issues demanding legislative advocacy are adequate budgetary allocation, procurement and skillful administration of life-saving commodities, creation of budget line items, timely release and judicious utilization of fund, upgrading and functional health care facilities at all levels.

5.      Proposal writing is neither fund raising but an opportunity to sell the organization to a potential funder, primarily for expansion of friendship.  

6.      In proposal monitoring plan, critical consideration should be accorded impacts, effects, outputs, activities, inputs, casual hypothesis and problem assessment to ensure focused, concise, compelling, comprehensive and creative project implementation.

7.      Project strategy design involves developing befitted SWOT analysis—Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats; and Organisation Capacity Assessment Tool would help to appreciate SWOT and embrace proactive strategy to mitigate the organisation’s Weakness and Threats.

8.      While qualities of a good indicator are practical, independent, measurable and targeted, indicator is measured by output, effective or impact of a project.

9.      A well written budget narrative should be clear, accurate, consistent, complete with appropriate level of to prevent rewrite and minimize errors.

Recommendations:

1.      Building formidable civil society with harmonized, interpreted and standardized data to inform effective legislative advocacy in child and family health.

2.      Developing context specific messaging and advocacy briefs on family planning, treatment of childhood killer diseases (pneumonia and diarrhea), nutrition, and routine immunisation for appropriate and effective legislative advocacy in child and family health.

3.      Engaging lobby-free legislative advocacy in child and family health through appropriate consultation of well-informed and experienced Legal Adviser to interpret, decode and distinguish advocacy from lobby activities.  

4.      Understanding relevant lobby-free provisions of the United State Law to ensure appropriate compliance.

5.      Well-informed civil society on the constitutional mandate of the legislators within the context of exclusive, concurrent and residual lists to understand and effectively demand accountability on legislative roles and responsibilities on child and family health at all levels.

6.      Understanding existing legislation and strategic policy documents like the National Health Act 2014, National Strategic Plan of Action on Nutrition (NSPAN), National Blue Print on Family Planning, National Immunisation Policy, counterpart commitment/tripartite agreement on routine immunization, and recommended guidelines (such as Amoxicillin Dispersible Tablets and Zinc/Lo-ORS) as first line treatment of pneumonia and diarrhea respectively by the United Nations Commission on Life-Saving Commodities (UNCoLSC) to inform evidence-based advocacy in child and family health.

7.      Building constructive working relationship with legislative aides and staff to ease accessibility to the legislatures for advocacy in child and family health.

8.      Adopting high level objectivity and professionalism, extensive research, strategic planning, innovation, intellectuality in proposal writing to inform comprehensive and acceptable proposal.

9.      Understanding the proposal maxims—organisation, funder and domain—prior experience, developing holistic organisational structure, organisation’s weaknesses to build defence against anticipated questions from project funders. 

10.  Sustainable operation through enhanced organisation’s capacity, good knowledge management, appropriate operational research and consultation, information and experience sharing, timely decision making.

Conclusion

The participants expressed appreciations to CISLAC/PACFaH for embarking on the training channeled towards building their capacity on legislative advocacy in child and family health. Participants expressed gratitude to the organizers, noting that the engagement was revealing and indeed an opportunity to begin to engage the legislatures at all levels. They demonstrated willingness to continue demanding accountability on Nutrition, Routine Immunisation, Family Planning, and treatment of childhood killer diseases in their respective states.

Signed:

Abanka J. Musa

RENITO, Abuja

Mary Jalingo

Cmmunity Aid Initiative, Niger state

Chief (Mrs.) Grace Oluwatoye

Life Builder Foundation, Ibadan

Pharm. David E.O Akpotor

Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Abuja