By Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo

KADUNA – The Dimagi CommCare Connect Child Health Campaign (CHC) in Kudan Local Government Area has achieved remarkable success, reaching over 50,000 children and significantly reducing malnutrition rates among those under five years of age.

Implemented by Solina Health in partnership with the Kaduna State Primary Health Care Board (KSPHCB), the 12-month initiative provided essential nutrition services, including Zinc/ORS for diarrhea treatment, Vitamin A supplementation, and Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) screening for early detection of malnutrition.

Data from the campaign show that 45,437 children received follow-up visits, representing a revisit success rate of 91 percent. During these subsequent visits, community volunteers identified and provided care to an additional 5,530 children previously unreached, further expanding the programme’s impact.

The results have been impressive: among children receiving follow-up visits, Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) declined by 73.7 percent, while Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) dropped by 92.2 percent. Experts say these outcomes translate into thousands of healthier, stronger children with improved chances of survival.

A network of 30 trained community volunteers conducted house-to-house visits across Kudan, delivering services, educating caregivers, and conducting MUAC screenings despite challenging terrain. Digital innovation played a key role in the programme’s success, with Dimagi’s CommCare Connect platform enabling real-time data capture, monitoring of household visits, and ensuring children due for follow-up were not missed.

At the campaign’s close-out event, Professor Bello Jamoh, Executive Secretary of KSPHCB, described the results as “impressive and encouraging,” praising the collaborative effort of government, communities, and partners.

Demilade Osoteku, Principal/Program Director at Solina Centre for International Development and Research (SCIDaR), highlighted the campaign’s depth: “A 91 percent revisit rate and the discovery of more than five thousand additional children show that the system did not stop at first contact. Simple tools in the hands of committed people create profound impact.”

Project Manager Michael Obiabo linked the initiative to global efforts toward achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030, noting that community-based interventions combined with digital tools are increasingly central to effective healthcare delivery.

The programme has also drawn praise from local leaders. Hon. Usman Abbas Likoro, Vice Chairman of Kudan LGA, described it as “well packaged, well delivered, and deeply felt at community level,” while Alhaji Aminu Mohammed Ashiru, District Head of Hunkuyi, urged scaling the model to other LGAs in Kaduna State.

The Kudan campaign demonstrates the potential of integrated community and digital approaches to child health, setting a benchmark for similar interventions across Nigeria and beyond.