BaSAM to Drive Own Activities with Support from E4A, Partners CHR on MNCHN Advocacy
By Bashir Hassan Abubakar
As part of it’s sustainability strategy, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded program, Evidence for Action (E4A) has disclosed that going forward, Bauchi State Accountability Mechanism on Reproductive, Maternal, New born, Child Health plus Nutrition (BaSAM) will single handily design and implement all it’s advocacy around MNCHN in the state.
This new development was revealed by the Bauchi State E4A advisor Khadijah Katagum recently , at a meeting for the development of 2020 State health budget scorecard held at Yimmir Hotel, Bauchi.
Khatagum said that the mother office of E4A program feels that the capacity of BaSAM has been built over the years to be able to carry out it’s activities without necessarily holding their hands to do that.
“Moving forward, BaSAM is to develop concept notes, explicitly stating the purpose of the activity, methodology to be deployed in carrying out the activity and the expected outcome of the activity, with accompanying costed budget for the activity”.
“E4A would then review such submissions. If such submissions are inline with it’s strategic objective, funding will be provided for BaSAM to implement such activity”, said the state advisor.
Meanwhile, a Nigerian based NGO known as Community Health and Research Initiative (CHR) is set to collaborate with BaSAM in a five month advocacy, accountability and research on MNCHN in Bauchi State.
This was disclosed by BaSAM Co-chair, Ladan Ibrahim Wunti during the 2020 State health budget scorecard meeting in Bauchi.
While describing the new development as gratifying, Wunti said it was the result of BaSAM’s dedication and hard work over the years that paved the way for collaboration with CHR.
Also, speaking with our correspondent in an interview, the program officer of the new collaboration, Zainab Lawan said the collaboration was based on merit on the part of BaSAM.
“Over the years, the technical capacity of BaSAM has been built by E4A and we have been carrying out advocacy for improved MNCHN services in Bauchi State, using evidence generated to convince policy makers and other key stakeholders in the state health sector for improved MNCHN.
“The type of activity we will be implementing in our partnership with CHR is similar to what we have been doing as BaSAM members under the E4A program. So, you can see that BaSAM is competent and technically sound to carry out the exercise with little or no supervision”, said Lawan.
Zainab Lawan, who also double as BaSAM Deputy Co-chair said BaSAM members are excited and happy with the new collaboration with CHR pointing out that, “this is an avenue to learn new things that can add value to health of mothers, children and generality of our communities”.
Our correspondent reports that at the end of the meeting, key advocacy messages were developed, to serve as an advocacy kit for improved MNCHN in Bauchi State.