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COMPASS Kano State Team Leader joins other stakeholders during the foundation laying ceremony
| Success Story
Rural community brings health closer to home
Kano State, Nigeria December 2006 Zakarai is in northern Nigeria. This simple, rural community is located in the Gabasuwa Local Government Area (LGA) in Kano State. Residents are mostly farmers who rely on proceeds from their maize and guinea corn fields. The community has only one primary health facility which struggles to provide services to this 7,718 population. Service providers are mainly community health extension workers who lack clinical skills. This is the reason why the community has never had regular services of a physician. Remoteness, poor social services, and lack of modern housing have discouraged doctors from taking up residence.
Like most developing countries, public services, especially health and education services, are barely used in Nigeria because people lack the resources to access them. Those who can afford them, seek private practitioners or private schools. Years of neglect mean that the infrastructure is run-down and sometimes non-existent. Increase in the dependency on the government and lack of civil society participation worsen the problems of accessing quality services. Besides, the level of knowledge on the use of services is still very low and sometimes, there are simply no skilled health providers.
When the USAID-funded Community Participation for Action in the Social Sector (COMPASS) Project promoted the formation of a Community Coalition (CC) in Zakarai in March 2006, residents including farmers, teachers and traders gathered for the first time to discuss issues of concern in the community. Top on the list of priorities identified by the community was the lack of a resident doctor to care for emergencies and other complications which affected access to health services by community members. This resulted in the Coalition's decision to build a doctor's lodge (house) next to the health facility in order to attract and retain a medical officer.
Jumpstarting the initiative, the CC mobilized resources worth N250,000 from the community, including building supplies and a building plan, designed by a National Youth Service Corps Architect. Sensing the need for extra and external help, the CC with COMPASS's support, launched an appeal to fund the doctors' lodge. The CC sent out invitations to the Local Government Authority, religious leaders, and surrounding CCs to support its initiative.
During a ceremony organized by the community in June 2006, the Local Government Authority donated N1,000,000 and pledged to provide an ambulance for the facility on completion of the building project. N253,540 was raised in cash and pledges from other dignitaries and community members who attended the event. The CC chairman from another community in Gabasawa LGA who had donated N6,000 said, “This is a great achievement and has sensitized us, and we will come up with something similar, in sha'Allah”.
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“Following a COMPASS-led training on advocacy skills, the Coalition was able to secure land from the LGA authority to build additional classrooms in its secondary school." | As part of its support, COMPASS will commence the upgrade of the Zakarai health facility to convert it into a quality site. The upgrade will include renovation of the building and equipment supply. In addition, service providers at the health facility will benefit from updated training and will receive COMPASS' technical materials. Meanwhile, as part of its continuing support, COMPASS will upgrade the Zakarai health facility into one of its quality sites. The upgrade will include renovations and supply of equipment. In addition, service providers at the health facility will benefit from COMPASS-organized trainings and will receive technical materials from the Project.
Inspired by their success and realizing the potential to achieve change on their own, the CC registered with the State's Social Development Department as a Community Development Association to gain access to funding from philanthropic organizations and individuals. Following a COMPASS-led training on advocacy skills, the Coalition was able to secure land from the LGA authority to build additional classrooms in its secondary school.
This initiative and support to the village by both the CC and COMPASS sparked an interest and encouraged other townships to work toward implementing initiatives in their own communities. The CC chairman in the village of Galadanchi shared, “This is really motivating. We will not be left behind I assure this.” Due to the generosity, hard work and dedication of Zakarai community members and surrounding communities, the doctor's house is near completion and is finally becoming a reality.
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