The media and stakeholders in the health sector have converged for a one-day social and behavior change workshop on disease outbreaks.
The training organized by the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Kano office with support from United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), was held in Kano.
Speaking at training, the NOA Kano state Director, Alhaji Lawal Haruna Makarfi explained that, the objectives of the session, was to work with key stakeholders to deepen understanding on how risk communication and community engagement for COVID-19 and other health outbreaks can be strengthened.
He maintained that, the workshop would also generate fresh ideas for the management of disease risk communication, as well as building more partnerships that can help to strengthen risk communication and community engagements.
In his remarks, Chief UNICEF Kano field office, Mr Rahama Rihood Mohammad Farah, stressed that part of the process of managing communication of disease outbreaks was to enlighten the public on how to avoid stigma, and discrimination through guidelines mapped out by agencies such as NCDC, WHO, among others.
Mr Rahma who was represented by, Social and Behavior Change Specialist, UNICEF Kano field office, Dr. Ogu Enemaku said, winners of the just concluded essay writing competition on COVID-19, for students of tertiary institutions were awarded with cash prizes.
The chief pointed out that the competition was aimed at drawing youths into the mainstream of idea generation, for accelerated mass vaccination against COVID 19 in Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states.
He said UNICEF Kano field office had been investing in youths through health, education, nutrition, child protection, water, sanitation and hygiene through interventions in schools and house hold levels among others.
” The panel of judges consists of representatives from the youths, medical profession, journalists, academia, federal government and NAWOJ”, He noted.
Also speaking, Chairman panel of judges, COVID -19 essay writing competition, Dr. Imam Wada Bello who doubles as Director Public Health and Disease Control, Kano state Ministry of Health, highlighted that, early detection would go a long way in curtailing diseases.
He described the workshop as apt, saying that communicating the risk associated with prevalent diseases would save lives.
Dr. Iman added that, the essay writing competition paved way for youths to contribute their quota, to the development of the health sector through the power of the pen.
” I commend UNICEF and NOA for organizing the training”.
At the end of the workshop, winners of the essay writing competition were awarded with cash prizes where two students from Bayero University Kano, Adeniyi Ayinde Abdulwahab and Abubakar Abdurrasheed, emerged first and second position, while a student of Umaru Musa Yar’adua University Katsina, Shehu Abdulbasit came third.
KHADIJAH ALIYU