Adolescent Youth-Friendly Health Services in Rivers State

Project Title:

An Intervention to Increase Access to Youth Friendly Health Services in Andoni LGA; a strategy to address the reproductive health needs of vulnerable, out-of-school young women in oilproducing
communities in Rivers State, Nigeria.

Project Objectives:
The objectives of this two-year project were to:
1. Reposition PHC facilities to become Youth-Friendly Health Centres
2. Mobilize youths to utilize the repositioned PHCs
3. Evaluate the effect of these services in improving knowledge, attitude and utilization rates of health
services among young people in these communities
4. Leverage political support for subsequent/eventual state-wide scale up

Background:
In 2013, the Federal Ministry of Health launched a National Action Plan for integration of Adolescent and Youth Friendly Services into Primary Health Care (PHC) services in Nigeria.
Unfortunately its implementation has been poor. In response to this, the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria (MWAN), Rivers State branch partnered with the Ford Foundation and
Rivers State Primary Health Care Management Board to implement a two-year grant (November 1st 2014 to October 31st 2016) to integrate Adolescent and Youth Friendly Health Services into PHC services in Ataba and Unyeada communities in Andoni LGA in Rivers State.

Project Results:

·Two PHCs with comprehensive needs assessment and recommendation documents
·Two technical working groups and two youth monitoring groups formed
·100% of facilities meeting the minimum standards
·Ten staff trained to be trainers for AYFHS service delivery
·Two AYFHS capacity-building trainings held and 50% of PHC staff trained for project implementation
·17 community members trained for project implementation
·Two PHCs providing minimum complement of AYF services
·Ten advocacy meetings held (Ten different groups) and stakeholders reached
·2,000 information leaflets and1,000 wrist bands produced and distributed
·Three media campaigns designed (3 jingles-pidgin, Andoni and English, 4 roller banners, 20 flex banners)
·Three abstracts submitted and presented at National and International Conferences.
·One end-of-project dissemination meeting held with policy makers

Lessons Learned:

• Partnership with key stakeholders is vital in facilitating the success of any project.
• Enabling community ownership of any project is best done through empowerment of the community governance structures.
• Innovations are imperative to overcoming challenges in project implementation.
• Champions are vital for the success of any project.

Envisaged Changes Resulting From Project Activities:

• Increased utilization of health facility services in the project communities.
• Improved community ownership of PHCs in the communities.
• Improved attitude and capacity of health workers in the adopted PHCs.
• Scale up of Adolescent Youth Friendly services to other LGAs.

About MWAN Rivers State
The Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria (MWAN), Rivers State Branch, was established in 1985. It is a branch of the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria (MWAN), affiliated to the Nigerian Medical Association and the Medical Women’s International Association. The Association, with its motto- ‘MatrisAnimoCurant’  meaning “Healing with the love of a mother” is non-governmental, nonsectarian,
non-political and non-profit making and provides a forum where women medical doctors and dentists
discuss and implement programmes aimed at the improvement of health especially of women and children.
The Rivers State Branch, in the preceding 31 years of her existence has carried out several activities in collaboration with partners such as the Rivers State government, Ford Foundation, Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation Program (NSRP), British Council, Word Diabetes Federation, IPAS (formerly International Pregnancy Advisory Services), Local Governments and the Civil Society Malaria Immunization and Nutrition (ACOMIN) Programme. Its office ‘The Every Woman’s Centre’ is located at Lane 1, Block 3, Flat 3, Marine Base Housing Estate Port Harcourt, Nigeria.