About Niger's Future/Sweeping Away-Infant Mortality
NIGER-INFANT MORTALITY RATE SOARS
In the courtyard of her family’s compound, Zuliah Baba, 32, goes through her nightly chores under a full moon. The familiar sounds of similar household routines echo through this rural village – chores that are being influenced by an innovative UNICEF programme, Key Family Practices, which is having a dramatic impact on child health in Niger.
SOUNDBITE (Hausa) Rashida Haro, Community Health Worker:“We are encouraging behavior change in several areas, like the advantages of exclusive breast-feeding and the importance of using insecticide treated mosquito nets. These practices protect both mother and child against diseases like malaria, diarrhea and others.”
Despite recent progress, Niger still has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world. One child out of five here will die before reaching the age of five, usually from easily preventable illness such as malaria, pneumonia and diarrhea. SOUNDBITE (French) Guido Cornale, UNICEf Representative, Niger:“In these villages where we’ve introduced these key family practices, mortality rates drop, the cases of diarrhea drop, cases of pneunomia are less severe, They are referred to the community health centers as they should be, before they get worse and cause death of the child.”
More and more families are embracing these practices and seeing a real impact in their day-to-day lives.SOUNDBITE (Hausa) Zulaih Baba, Mother:“These information sessions have been a great help with the health of my children, and has allowed me to attend to their health better and go to the health center less.”Hand washing is now routine before meals and the increased use of mosquito nets is having a dramatic impact in reducing malaria – the number one killer of children in Niger.The results are having benefits for the whole community who meet regularly to discuss and decide on behavior change together. Behavior change that encourages change in each household.SOUNDBITE (Hausa) Oumarou Kachallo, Chief, Village Garin Bawa:“Since we introduced the key family practices in my village I’ve noticed a difference. It’s had an impact on the economy because people are spending less of medicines.”The aim over the next three years is to introduce the program to hundreds of villages all across Niger, reaching the most vulnerable and empowering communities to adopt new collective norms and practices that will save the lives of children.
Transcripts / Production Notes / Scripts
In the courtyard of her family’s compound, Zuliah Baba, 32, goes through her nightly chores under a full moon. The familiar sounds of similar household routines echo through this rural village – chores that are being influenced by an innovative UNICEF programme, Key Family Practices, which is having a dramatic impact on child health in Niger.
SOUNDBITE (Hausa) Rashida Haro, Community Health Worker:
“We are encouraging behavior change in several areas, like the advantages of exclusive breast-feeding and the importance of using insecticide treated mosquito nets. These practices protect both mother and child against diseases like malaria, diarrhea and others.”
Despite recent progress, Niger still has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world. One child out of five here will die before reaching the age of five, usually from easily preventable illness such as malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea.
The simple behaviour changes promoted by the Key Family Practices Programme can significantly reduce these deaths.
Community health workers are a vital link - spreading this knowledge to transform the health of not only children, but of entire communities.
At regular meetings the health workers, who are elected by the community themsleves, share vital information on the seven simple steps that are at the heart of the program.
SOUNDBITE (French) Guido Cornale, UNICEf Representative, Niger:
“In these villages where we’ve introduced these key family practices, mortality rates drop, the cases of diarrhea drop, cases of pneunomia are less severe, They are referred to the community health centers as they should be, before they get worse and cause death of the child.”
More and more families are embracing these practices and seeing a real impact in their day-to-day lives.
SOUNDBITE (Hausa) Zulaih Baba, Mother:
“These information sessions have been a great help with the health of my children, and has allowed me to attend to their health better and go to the health center less.”
Hand washing is now routine before meals and the increased use of mosquito nets is having a dramatic impact in reducing malaria – the number one killer of children in Niger.
The results are having benefits for the whole community who meet regularly to discuss and decide on behavior change together. Behavior change that encourages change in each household
SOUNDBITE (Hausa) Oumarou Kachallo, Chief, Village Garin Bawa:
“Since we introduced the key family practices in my village I’ve noticed a difference. It’s had an impact on the economy because people are spending less of medicines.”
The aim over the next three years is to introduce the program to hundreds of villages all across Niger, reaching the most vulnerable and empowering communities to adopt new collective norms and practices that will save the lives of children.
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NIGER-INFANT MORTALITY RATE SOARS