Nigeria is sub-Saharan Africa's most populous country, with an estimated 130-140 million inhabitants according to the World Health Organization. Most people (52 percent) live in rural areas, although a substantial portion (27 percent) lives in cities with populations greater than 100,000. In 2007, an estimated 70 percent of Nigerians were living on less than U.S. $1 per day.
Among the most daunting of Nigeria's public health issues is HIV & AIDS. Although Nigeria's HIV prevalence is lower than that of the adjacent southern Africa region, averaging 4.6 percent, an estimated four million people were living with HIV & AIDS in 2007, placing the country second only to South Africa in terms of the global infection burden. In addition, one million or more children under age 17 were thought to have lost a parent to AIDS. While the Federal Ministry of Health's National AIDS and STI Control Program called for delivering comprehensive AIDS prevention, care, and treatment services to 25 percent of the population by 2008, by 2007, the majority of people living with HIV were still in need of AIDS services.
With funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and other donors, MSH is currently assisting the Nigerian government and private entities in 18 Nigerian States to strengthen health systems, and improve access to quality health services.
Experience in this Country
- Program to Build Leadership and Accountability in Nigerias Health System, PLAN-Health 2010–2015
- Prevention and Organizational Systems – AIDS Care and Treatment (ProACT) Project 2009–2014
- Community-Based Support for OVC (CUBS) Project 2009-2014
- Action for West Africa Region II (AWARE II) 2009-2012
- Nigeria Indigenous Capacity Building (NICaB) Project 2007–2010
- Leadership, Management and Sustainability (LMS) Program 2005–2010
- Tuberculosis Control Assistance Program (TB CAP) 2005–2011
- Community Participation for Action in the Social Sectors (COMPASS) 2004–2009
- Management and Leadership Program 2000–2005
Program to Build Leadership and Accountability in Nigerias Health System, PLAN-Health
2010–2015The Program to Build Leadership and Accountability in Nigeria's Health System (PLAN-Health) is a five-year Leadership, Management and Sustainability Associate Award which extends the recently concluded Capacity Building Project. PLAN-Health will build on the successes of the Capacity Building Project to foster sustainable change in the Nigerian health system, expanding the initial program focus to state and local government levels. The project aims to strengthen institutional capacities of select public and civil society organizations for improved HIV and other health services for Nigeria's vulnerable populations. Additionally, it will develop and institutionalize local capacity for building management and leadership skills and practices in the Nigerian health sector. The project will explore and provide evidence on the linkages between health systems strengthening and improved health impact.
Prevention and Organizational Systems – AIDS Care and Treatment (ProACT) Project
2009–2014The Prevention and Organizational Systems – AIDS Care and Treatment Project (ProACT) is a follow-on associate award to the Nigeria Leadership, Management and Sustainability AIDS Care and Treatment Project (LMS-ACT). ProACT supports HIV & AIDS and TB services in the six project states of Kogi, Niger, Kwara, Kebbi, Taraba, and Adamawa, while placing a strong emphasis on building government and CSO capacity to strengthen health and HIV & AIDS systems for delivery of integrated health and HIV & AIDS and TB services. HIV prevention and AIDS care and treatment services, together with selected wrap around services (maternal, neonatal and child health including family planning, malaria, and nutrition) will form the core package of services. Using gender-based approaches and through small grants program for local CSOs, this project supports strengthening of community organizational systems for management of HIV & AIDS as a chronic illness and overall improvements in community health.
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Community-Based Support for OVC (CUBS) Project
2009-2014The Community-Based Support for OVC (CUBS) Project is improving the well-being of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in Nigeria by integrating a currently fragmented OVC service delivery system, mobilizing community support, and raising awareness of the issues and needs of OVCs. Over five years, the project will provide 50,000 OVC with comprehensive OVC services and train 12,500 providers/caregivers in service delivery in 11 focal states (Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers, Gombe, Taraba, Kebbi, Sokoto, Ekiti, Enugu, and Imo). The CUBS project will scale up OVC service delivery, while offering new approaches for enhancing service outreach to OVCs, building community ownership, and addressing gender discrimination. Services to be delivered to OVC include food and nutritional support, shelter and care, protection, health care, psychosocial support, education and vocational training, and increased economic opportunities. The project will build the capacity of government agencies and service providers, strengthen systems, and award small grants to civil-society organizations and faith-based organizations to deliver OVC services. The CUBS project was awarded to MSH in partnership with Africare under the AIDSTAR I IQC contract, funded by the President's Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief through the United States Agency for International Development.
Related Links:
Gender Assessment and Program Framework Report
For a brochure on the CUBS Project (PDF 111 KB)
"Addressing Kid's Vulnerability," Weekly Trust (May 1, 2010)
New MSH Project in Nigeria Helping Communities Support Orphans and Vulnerable Children
Action for West Africa Region II (AWARE II)
2009-2012Following the successful AWARE I projects, AWARE II seeks to expand the use of regionally proven best practices in family planning and reproductive health, HIV & AIDS, and maternal, neonatal and child health in 21 countries in West Africa through creating positive policy environments, training regional institutions, and promoting the leveraging of funding to support regional best practices. The project works with WAHO (West African Health Organization) to assist regional coordination bodies in setting regional priorities for health and monitoring the impact of regional health interventions on health results in individual countries.*Note: AWARE II West Africa has completed tasks in Burkina Faso, Mauritana, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Nigeria Indigenous Capacity Building (NICaB) Project
2007–2010The Nigeria Indigenous Capacity Building (NICaB) project aims at strengthening the ability of indigenous organizations to respond to HIV & AIDS in their communities. MSH serves as a mentoring partner and sub to the Christian Health Association of Nigeria (CHAN). The project aims to achieve a sustained and effective response to HIV & AIDS through capacity building, institutionalizing best practices, increased community outreach, and ensuring ownership by local partners. NICaB works in 12 sites in six States (Delta, Sokoto, Taraba, Abia, Oyo and Benue). The four main objectives of the project are:
- Strengthening the health and management systems of CHAN and its member institutions, to support health programs in HIV & AIDs at the primary health care level
- Strengthening/developing local capacity at primary health care facilities to deliver a comprehensive set of quality health services
- Establish/strengthen partnerships with government and private sector agencies
- Expand and sustain the community response to HIV & AIDS
Leadership, Management and Sustainability (LMS) Program
2005–2010The Leadership, Management and Sustainability (LMS) Program develops managers and leaders who achieve results in the areas of reproductive health, HIV & AIDS, infectious disease, and maternal and child health. LMS works with health organizations in the public and private sectors to create sustainable programs and systems through improved leadership and management. By strengthening management systems and increasing system-wide leadership, LMS improves the performance of health care organizations at all levels, develops human resources, and builds the capacity to anticipate and respond effectively to changing external environments.
Tuberculosis Control Assistance Program (TB CAP)
2005–2011The Tuberculosis Control Assistance Program (TBCAP) aims to decrease morbidity and mortality by increasing case detection and treatment success of pulmonary TB patients in USAID priority countries. TBCAP is USAID’s five year centrally funded project focusing on implementing WHO’s Stop TB strategy. MSH is one of eight partners, including KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation, WHO, The International Union Against Tuberculosis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Family Health International, American Thoracic Society, and the Japanese Anti-Tuberculosis Association. TBCAP recently introduced the Management and Organizational Sustainability Tool (MOST) process it has adapted to the TB context. A meeting sponsored by TBCAP for personnel from National Tuberculosis Programs in Mozambique, Namibia, Uganda, Zambia, and Pakistan gave managers hands-on experience using MOST and allowed TBCAP to validate the instrument as adapted for TB. Within TBCAP, MSH makes a unique contribution for addressing constraints such as poor management and lack of sustainable leadership, weak laboratory services and failure of drug supplies, inconsistent drug quality and inadequate drug policies, lacking information systems, weak monitoring and evaluation, and overwhelmed health systems. Through core-funded activities, MSH contributes to TBCAP by aiding in the development and implementation of the International Standards for Tuberculosis Care TB control, guidelines for TB control in prisons, and institutional capacity building. MSH also provides workshops and training for lab consultants, human resource development strengthening, and multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) management. MSH is making important contributions as coordinating partner for Malawi, Ghana, and Souther Sudan for expanding quality DOTS and is currently collaborating in Cambodia, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Mozambique, Namibia, Pakistan. MSH provides technical assistance in Domincan Republic and Peru.
Community Participation for Action in the Social Sectors (COMPASS)
2004–2009COMPASS Nigeria focuses on improving access to health and education within five Nigerian states, affecting 18 million men, women, adolescents, and children. The project encompasses 51 local government associations representing 66 percent of the population in the state of Lagos, Kano, Federal Capital Territory, Bauchi, and Nasarawa. The states vary widely in population and density, reflecting Nigeria’s disparity in wealth, health, and education in the north and south of the country. COMPASS is managed by Pathfinder, Intl., and MSH works as a partner on one of the eight sectors of the project: child survival, including polio eradication in six additional states. The project is a $95 million endeavor by USAID, of which MSH manages $10 million. Currently, there are eight MSH staff members working on COMPASS. The project goals include:
- Increasing access to both health and education facilities.
- Improving the quality of health and education services.
- Improving local communities’ ability to effectively participate in policy dialogue on health and education.
- Increasing demand for quality health and education services.
Management and Leadership Program
2000–2005The M&L Program was designed to improve the performance of leaders, managers, and organizational management systems, and improve organizations' ability to anticipate and respond effectively to the changing external environment. Working with public, private, and nongovernmental organizations at all levels of the health sector, M&L strengthened individual employee, organization, and national program performance. These improvements contributed significantly to the delivery of high-quality health services.
