The Kaduna State Government, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has intensified efforts to enhance access to education and healthcare for children and women in hard-to-reach communities across the state.
UNICEF Country Representative in Nigeria, Wafa Abdelatef, stated this during a field monitoring visit on Tuesday in Kaduna, where she assessed various interventions designed to improve learning outcomes and healthcare delivery in designated areas.
The visit began at Government Secondary School, Mararaban Jos, a facility supported by Fifth Chukker Polo Club and upgraded in partnership with Access Bank and UNICEF. The school now provides a safer and more conducive learning environment for children.
The delegation also inspected a pilot Integrated Qur’anic Education Programme at Karofi, Zangon-Aya, in Igabi Local Government Area, which targets almajiris and out-of-school children, equipping them with foundational literacy and numeracy skills.
Abdelatef expressed satisfaction with the progress recorded, noting that the children were now gaining both religious and basic education.
“It is important to ensure not just access, but quality learning for every child,” she said.
She explained that children under the programme now attend school three times weekly, learning literacy and numeracy in a culturally relevant environment. Abdelatef reaffirmed UNICEF’s commitment to supporting the government and communities to sustain the gains made.
The monitoring team later visited an integrated mobile outreach programme at Tudun Kasa, Wuchichiri Ward, Zaria Local Government Area, where health workers provided essential services such as immunisation, antenatal care, nutrition counselling, and disease screening.
Abdelatef said she was encouraged by the large turnout of women and children accessing services, describing the initiative as life-saving.
“This initiative is saving lives and addressing malnutrition, one of Kaduna State’s major child health concerns,” she said, commending the state for investing in life-saving supplies, including therapeutic foods for severely malnourished children.
She noted that vaccination coverage in the state was improving and reaffirmed UNICEF’s commitment to expanding access to quality education, nutrition, and healthcare so that “no child is left behind.”
The Director of Public Health at the Kaduna State Ministry of Health, Dr. Abubakar Idris, said the mobile outreach was designed to reach communities far from health facilities with comprehensive services.
“The outreach provides nutrition counselling, immunisation, antenatal care, tuberculosis and malaria screening, as well as demonstrations on preparing nutritious local diets to fight malnutrition,” Idris said.
He added that the state government had renovated 255 primary health centres and 15 secondary facilities to strengthen healthcare delivery and sustain outreach services.
“Kaduna State has allocated 16 per cent of its 2025 budget to health, surpassing the Abuja Declaration benchmark, and has co-financed nutritional commodities with UNICEF,” he said.
At Zangon-Aya, community leader Abdulrasheed Suleiman praised UNICEF’s intervention, noting that the 50-year-old school now offers structured learning that keeps children engaged and improves their educational and moral upbringing.
The Head of the Qur’anic School, Yakubu Zakari-Yau, also commended the Kaduna State Government and UNICEF for improving teaching quality through the introduction of foundational learning.
“Pupils who once lacked basic literacy can now read and write confidently,” he said, adding that the intervention had bridged the gap between religious and basic education in the community.
At Tudun Kasa, Wuchichiri, Village Head Abubakar Ibrahim thanked the state government and UNICEF for bringing health services closer to the people.
“This initiative will go a long way in reducing child mortality and improving maternal health,” he said.
Other members of the UNICEF delegation included Nemat Hajeebhoy, Chief of Nutrition, UNICEF Nigeria, and Gerida Birukila, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Kaduna.
