By Mustapha Yauri
The Centre for Communication and Social Impact (CCSI), through its Faith and Cultural Champions (FCC) Project, is promoting acceptance of child spacing among rural women in Kaduna to improve maternal and child health.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the intervention, implemented with the Ummulkhairi Foundation, engages women, husbands, mothers-in-law, traditional rulers, religious leaders and young married couples to support informed reproductive health choices.
Hajiya Maryam Sani, Chairperson, Umulkhairi Foundation while speaking at a sensitisation programme in Dutsen Abba Ward, Zaria Local Government, on Wednesday said participants discussed the health, social and economic benefits of child spacing.
According to her, many especially the adolescent married women said they were ready to embrace family planning after receiving accurate information.
The chairperson added that the campaign encouraged antenatal care, postnatal care and informed child spacing as practical ways to reduce maternal and infant mortality in rural communities.
She said the intervention was necessary because available data still showed high maternal and infant mortality rates, making sustained awareness campaigns essential for healthier reproductive practices.
Sani noted that questions and contributions from participants showed growing acceptance of child spacing after misconceptions about contraceptives and other reproductive health issues were addressed.
FCC Project Consultant, Malam Abubakar Ibrahim, said the initiative was creating demand for child spacing services by giving women, husbands and other family members accurate information for informed decisions.
He said the project complemented government efforts to reduce maternal mortality and expand access to family planning through advocacy, community mobilisation and engagement with local stakeholders.
The Village Head of Unguwar Ale, Malam Abdulhamid Dan-Zaria, said the involvement of traditional and religious leaders had strengthened community confidence and made residents more receptive to messages on responsible child spacing.
He said Islam encouraged responsible childbirth spacing for the wellbeing of mothers and children, and pledged continued enlightenment and mobilisation in the ward and surrounding communities.
One participant, Malama Aliya Ahmed-Maqari, said the sensitisation improved her understanding of family planning and would help her share the knowledge with other women in her community.
She urged government and development partners to ensure a steady supply of contraceptives at primary healthcare centres, saying consistent availability would sustain acceptance of child spacing among rural families.
Ahmed-Maqari said child spacing would improve the health of mothers and children and help families provide better care, education and support while easing socio-economic pressure on households.
Another participant, Hassana Yahaya of Nasarawa Pan-Madina, Dutsen Abba Ward, said the discussions corrected misconceptions about contraceptives and strengthened confidence in modern child spacing methods available at health facilities.
She recalled the case of a woman who became pregnant again barely two months after childbirth, saying the sensitisation exposed participants to family planning options that could improve maternal health and wellbeing.
“This programme has given women like her hope because they now understand that different child spacing methods can protect their health while enabling them to care better for their children,” Yahaya said.
NAN reports that the FCC Project targets young married couples, adolescent girls and boys, mothers-in-law, husbands, traditional rulers and religious leaders because of their influence on maternal health and family planning decisions.
The session in Dutsen Abba Ward reflects the project’s effort to change perceptions of child spacing and improve family wellbeing in rural Kaduna communities.(NAN)
Edited by Yakubu Uba