• Devcoms has had over five requests to partner in initiating new projects including a global initiative on science and public health journalism. Most of these potential partnership discussions have reached advanced stages of discussion.
• In December 2008, the Nigerian Minister of Health invited Devcoms to join a national team to develop the strategic communication component of the national ‘Agenda for Health’.
• Devcoms has carried out a series of capacity building activities for in-school journalism students incorporating mentoring and advocacy on poverty eradication.
• Devcoms has delivered presentations to editors of national media on MDGs 4 and 5 in collaboration with UNICEF, most recently during the launch and dissemination of the 2009 State of the World Chidren Report.
• Devcoms is also developing a publication on their strategy employed in the immersion of journalists using MDGs 2, 3, 4 and 5.

As you know, applications are now being accepted for the 2009 ONE Africa Award. This award is designed to honor, celebrate and recognize Africa-driven and African-led efforts that are changing lives, communities, and countries one step at a time. You can apply here.

-Edith Jibunoh

From Thursday the 9th – Friday 10th October, ONE Award Winner Devcoms hosted an immersion program for journalists in Kaduna (northern Nigeria) on current maternal newborn and child health issues in Nigeria with the goal of building the skills necessary for journalists to report responsibly on MDG goals 4 and 5.

Northern Nigeria’s health statistics are a lot worse than the rest of the country, and making the news in the Nigerian press in the last week has been a call by members of civil society to Northern governors, for a scale up of their interventions in these States where the situation, especially in child and maternal health, has become dire. Policy makers have also called on federal government to declare a national emergency to tackle the problems of the north, especially the Almajiri (child beggars, many from koranic schools) phenomenon. The World Bank recently reported that northern Nigerian has the highest number of illiterate children in the world and the region also has the least percentage of educational enrollment and success rate in national examinations in the country. The fundamental differences between northern and southern Nigeria’s poverty situation are the levels of severity and magnitude, and many blame religion (Islam is the prominent religion in the north), culture and the feudal history of governance for the current circumstances.

Devcoms hosted the immersion program at an opportune time given the current socio-political debates and successful results should mean that the 15 participants are empowered to write informed stories based on the collection of evidence from the field, from the people living in the conditions of concern. Akin Jimoh, Devcoms Coordinator, hosted the program and brought several resource persons from: Ministry of Health; a Health professor from the Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, Nigeria; a budget tracking specialist from Action AID; and the Head of the Acquire project which works on Fistula. I provided an overview of ONE’s work and explained how our organization continues to fight to make sure these issues remain on the front burner of international development debates.

The first day was spent learning about the child and maternal health issues plaguing the country – particularly northern Nigeria – and the government’s budgetary and implemented response (or lack thereof) to the problems. On the second day, the participants focused on learning strategies and tools for reporters to use in leveraging the media as a watchdog in saving women and children’s lives. Group exercises tested these skills and participants developed action plans for their story development. Every journalist was assigned an individual mentoring plan with mentors who would be on hand to provide the journalist with assistance to support the development of their stories.

Akin Jimoh said in his opening remarks that the program was not about the ability of the journalists to report on the immersion program or what was learned there, but was in fact about the actual stories that were developed, based on evidence collected by them from their own investigations. The power of the media was clearly explained and a wealth of information provided, now we must wait for the stories which will influence change.

Health in Northern Nigeria

• 2007 budget on health for Nigeria was about 5% of total government expenditure (including recurrent expenditures)

• Nigeria has had an outbreak of nearly 190 cases of polio this year already, mostly in northern Nigeria. The number is a stark contrast to the 16 new cases in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, the three other polio endemic countries.

• Northern culture of earlier marriage results in a missed opportunity for education, especially among girls. The lack of education is a major factor in the poor child and maternal mortality rate. 50,000 maternal deaths a year with the north making up 70% of these numbers.

-Edith Jibunoh

Read more about the ONE Africa Award here!

More pictures below…

The winner of the ONE Africa Award 2008 was announced in Accra yesterday. It was a very special occasion for ONE and we were delighted that ONE’s Policy Advisory Board member, Mr. K.Y. Amoako from Ghana agreed to make the presentation. In a surprising move, ONE decided to give the award to an organization that engages the media in efforts to stop disease and save lives.

The winner, Development Communications (DEVCOMS) Network, is a Nigerian media training and mentoring group that works with the media to improve public health. Based in the sprawling metropolis of Lagos, DEVCOMS trains and mentors journalists in public health issues and science journalism. While media may not seem an obvious player in achieving the MDGs, Akin Jimoh, DEVCOMS’ Programme Director, says information is critical for people to make well-informed decisions, especially about their health. His organization is also actively involved in advocacy efforts for free health care in Nigeria and has helped to improve both the quality and quantity of health journalism across the country.

DEVCOMS’ success is based on its long term approach to media relationships and development. Rather than running one-off training sessions, it collaborates closely with NGOs working on health issues to provide ongoing mentoring and immersion training for reporters through internships.

“We believe the silent sighs of our women and children have to stop” he said, dedicating the ONE Africa Award to the 140 women who die in Nigeria every day “giving life” and to the more than 300 children under the age of five who die every day from diarrhea, malaria and other preventable, treatable diseases. He also urged civil society organizations to help any journalist who knocks on their door. “We are all one in this” he said “ and this award reminds us of the work we have to do.”

ONE created this award to recognize the role of African individuals and organizations in achieving the MDGs. ONE plans to announce this award annually in honor of those who inspire and lead the fight against the injustice of extreme poverty.

“Information is power” said Mr Amoako when he announced DEVCOMS as the winner, “for citizens, for civil society and for governments. We will all do a better job of fighting poverty with better information and debate. DEVCOMS makes that critical link between the practical daily work of improving public health services, with citizens, through the media.”

Check back later for photos and video from the ceremony.

-Katy Cronin

Read more about the ONE Award here!

You can learn more about the award and download the application here.

-Nora Coghlan

African civil society has an extremely important role to play in advancing the development agenda, either through their own action, or as a monitoring body of government implemented programs, ensuring that money goes where it is most needed. We launched the call for applications on July 15th and will continue to receive applications until August 15th. This is our first award, and through this effort, we hope that we can best showcase the individuals and organizations that are doing amazing work, everyday, for African people.

I would be delighted if you could pass on this information on to individuals and organizations that you think would qualify. More information is available here.

-Edith Jibunoh, ONE’s Africa Outreach Manager, Abuja, Nigeria