By Bashir Hassan Abubakar
Participants of the just concluded capacity building reorientation training on “Building Vaccine Champions Among Media Professionals” in Bauchi State
have expressed their confidence, zeal and readiness to apply the knowledge gained with a view to focusing more on solution based approach to reporting public health emergencies.
Organised by the USAID funded Breakthrough Action – Nigeria (BA-N) Project, the training attracted over 20 participants drawn from Media organizations that cut across radio, print, online and some officials of the Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Board.
Sharing their assessment of the training with our correspondent at the end of the Two Days activity, the participants applauded BA-N Project for the innovative approach in creating Routine Immunization champions within Journalists in Bauchi State.
A radio broadcaster with Eagle Radio Bauchi, Sulaiman Ahmad said the training has exposed him to what Zero Dose is and how it exposes children to vaccine preventable diseases.
Ahmad said that going foreword, his reports and programs will heavily tilt to creating more awareness on the need for the general public to take preventive measures in their healthcare, especially that of their children, stressing that, “my capacity has been enhanced as health reporter”.
Sharing her experience of the training, a health reporter with Albarka Radio Bauchi, Khadija Adamu Mahmood thanked BA-N Project Bauchi Field office for the opportunity accorded her to benefit from the training, promising to apply the knowledge gained in developing contents that could trigger positive attitude in the uptake of Pentavalent Vaccines that is specifically designed to prevent diseases among children.
“I’ve been taught the benefits of the Pentavalent Vaccines and how it prevents children from child killer diseases like diphtheria, whooping cough, influenza, measles etc. I intend to step down this training to my colleagues at the station, because the more journalists get to know about the benefits of children immunization , the better the chances of creating more awareness to the general public”, said Khadija Mahmood.
For Buhari Abubakar Jabbo , a radio producer with Radio Nigeria Globe FM Bauchi, said he will sustain his radio program highlighting key public health concerns.
“I want to sincerely appreciate BA-N Project for this and previous trainings that i was privileged to attend. I want to say here that, even after the exit of BA-N Project, i intend to sustain the production of my radio programs, using the knowledge i acquired over years, to bring about paradigm shift on approach to public health concerns as it affects children. The idea here is to sustain and even upscale radio programs beyond the life span of BA-N Project”, said Jabbo.
For Elizabeth Kah, a seasoned television broadcaster that has been manning the health desk of her station for a number of years, the training has provided her an opportunity to know what radio programming is, which according to her, has enhanced her capacity as a Journalist.
Kah said that as far as she is concerned , the objective of the training that focuses on building synergy and networking with health reporters from a diverse genre of Journalism, has been achieved.
According to Kah, “I have established relationships with Radio producers and such relationships will spur me to sometimes share my personal editorial materials like commentaries and analysis on public health issues to radio stations for possible airing. This way, some key messages would be passed to target listeners, in addition to other media outlets. Like the saying goes, the more the merrier”, enthused Elizabeth Kah.
On the level of participant’s understanding of the training contents and achieving the objectives, the lead facilitator of the activity Nura Bashir Faggo said that he was impressed with the zeal, enthusiasm, commitment and contributions demonstrated by the participants.
Faggo, who also doubles as the social and behaviour change officer of the organizers, BA-N , said that he is optimistic on the ability of the participants to develop media contents targeting underserved communities with key messages on how to prevent disease outbreaks through uptake of routine immunization.
Our correspondent reports that the orientation training saw the participants developing workable radio programs and other editorial contents with special focus on uptake of vaccines with a view to curtailing outbreak of diseases and mitigating the worrisome cases of Zero Dose among children in Bauchi State.