This project is important because women are the drivers of family and development. If a woman dies or is seriously disabled, the entire family is affected. Ultimately, Together for Healthy Families in Nigeria wants to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality in the target local government areas by 25 percent. To do so, it aims to improve maternal health and access to family planning services while strengthening health systems at the national, state, and local levels. It also aims to increase the use of maternal care and family planning services by educating community members about their benefits, and to train health care workers to improve skills and track data on maternal and neonatal deaths so that interventions can be tailored to specific needs. The program builds on the comprehensive work that Rotary has done in eradicating polio in Nigeria, which "developed a sense of trust and a sense of scale."
Rotary Programs of Scale
Programs of Scale grant-winner "Together for Healthy Families" in Nigeria helps families by focusing on the fundamental needs of women. In June, The Rotary Foundation announced that the program is receiving the Foundation's second $2 million Programs of Scale grant, an award that will build on the program's past success to accomplish even more in the future.
Townsend says. "You've got to think about [polio] in a national, regional, and global perspective, and certainly maternal health relates to that. This is something that requires a big scale, and Rotary in Nigeria is particularly well-placed. There are clubs all over the country, its members are influential, and there are increasing numbers of women in leadership. And they are committed to doing things that really make a difference for society."