Associate Researcher, United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, and radio presenter, Bolaji Margaret is working assiduously to enlighten young girls in Northern Nigeria on immunisation, as well as reproductive health issues.  
She shares her experience in this telephone interview.

HOW would you score the awareness about immunisation in your part of the country?
I reside basically in Zaria, and in most of its communities, girls are married off after primary school. In fact, recently, a man here gave out his eight and ten year old daughters for marriage. So, majority of them understand absolutely nothing about HIV, puberty, family planning, immunisation and much more, by time they get married. Even while teaching them about family planning, because of their sensitivity, we restrict our lectures to issues around menstruation. We still often get accused of teaching them promiscuity. Now, what we do is involve the boys and men, as well as traditional leaders in the community.

…and what’s their attitude toward child immunisation like?
Fairly commendable, especially with the ones that have passed through Safety, our girls’ club. They now understand what it means to attend antenatal, post natal and even go for immunisation. They also in turn disseminate this information to their families and communities.

Prior to the arrival of the Safety Club, what was the situation?
The infant-maternal mortality rate was outrageous. Of course, this has reduced. Out-of-hospital birth has also not helped but the challenge is that majority of the women practicing this do so on their mother or mother-in-laws’ advice, on the claim that they had their own children right there in the house.
Their fathers and husbands also insist on this on the argument that a male doctor will attend to them at the hospital.

Is access to health facilities a problem?
It should be a factor because only two of out of the nine communities here have primary healthcare centres. Those from the other seven communities have to go through a 30 to 1 hour drive to access these health centres.

Proportion of women going for child immunisation
Though this is on the increase, compared to the number of infants in the communities, it is insignificant. More still needs to be done to improve awareness and ensure more mothers adhere to immunisation schedules.