Rotary Expands $5m Maternal, Child Health Programme In Nigeria

The Rotary Foundation has reaffirmed its commitment to improving maternal and child health in Nigeria on Monday through the Together for Healthy Families programme.

Speaking after an interactive session with the Rotary action group for Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health (Rotary-RMCH)regarding the ongoing “Together for Healthy Families in Nigeria” programmes of scale in Abuja, the chair of the Rotary Foundation, Holger Knaack, who was accompanied by his wife, Suzanne, described the programme as one of its most impactful initiatives on the African continent.
He expressed delight at the progress recorded under the programme, which has significantly reduced maternal and child deaths in participating communities.

“What we are seeing here is the result of more than 25 years of hard work and collaboration among Rotarians, the Rotary Foundation, volunteers, and government health officials,” he said.

“Together, we have achieved a significant reduction in maternal and child mortality. That is the true impact of partnership,” he added.

He explained that Rotary’s approach is to focus on large-scale, measurable projects that deliver lasting change.

“Our goal is always impact. It’s not just about doing good, but about doing the right thing and being able to measure it. Bigger projects have greater, measurable results,” he said.

The Together for Healthy Families in Nigeria programme, he noted, is a $2 million initiative that has attracted further support and collaboration.

“Through partnerships with other countries such as Germany, we have raised about $2.8 million, bringing the total investment to nearly $5 million.

“We are also proud that the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation has pledged another $5 million over the next few years to sustain this success,” he said.

Also speaking, Trustee of the Rotary Foundation, Ijeoma Pearl Okoro, described it as a milestone for Nigeria, being only the second Programme of Scale approved by the Rotary Foundation globally.

“I’m happy it came to Nigeria, and that we hit the ground running. We’re already recording successes in maternal and child care,” she said.

“Most importantly, the programme has attracted a scaling partner, which will help us expand beyond the initial four pilot locations.

“The next phase has been mapped out, and we’re ready to extend to other states,” Okoro added.

The National Coordinator/Country Director of the Together for Healthy Families in Nigeria programme, Prof. Adedolapo Emmanuel Lufadeju, in his presentation, said that the Together for Healthy Families in Nigeria programme of Scale (PoS) is an initiative through which Rotary members show their commitment to improving maternal and infant health by providing mothers and newborns with targeted healthcare.

He said the programme has helped in “improving the systemic access to life saving services which will have an immediate and enduring impact on not just mothers but also the wider community by reducing maternal and neonatal mortality in Nigeria, hence the theme.”

“The overall objective of the programme is to scale-down maternal and neonatal mortality by 25%,” he added.

The programme, according to him, commenced implementation in four locations in November 2022.

He listed the locations to include: FCT (Abuja Municipal Area Council), Nasarawa (Akwanga and Lafia LGAs), Gombe (Gombe and Yamaltu Deba LGAs), and Ekiti states (Ado-Ekiti and Ijero LGAs), totalling 49 facilities.

“Owing to the success recorded, as at July 2025, the programme has expanded to 103 facilities across the four locations,” he said.