The Challenge Initiative has sought the collaboration of journalists to scale up positive changes in reproductive health and family planning activities in Sokoto.

The state manager of the Devcom/TCI project, Bello Kilgori, made the call during the year three review meeting, media roundtable and planning engagement on Saturday in Sokoto.

Mr Kilgori said the meeting was to showcase achievements, review challenges, share experiences, and provide the best ways to enhance processes and areas of improvement.

He highlighted that journalists have contributed and played great roles in public awareness, the field assessments of FP services, and constraints comprising a dearth of manpower and other delivery challenges.

The manager urged journalists to sustain the progress and advised government officials to offer them more opportunities to access information and realign the hitches highlighted.

Kilgori led discussions on different areas in the findings and offered solutions to some critical areas that need alignment, especially on family planning.

Earlier, the director of advocacy in the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (SSPHDA), Dahiru Qamaru, said adequate arrangements were designed to enhance FP services.

Mr Qamaru explained that more consumables and other items would be provided, and health workers would be recruited and retrained to manage the family planning services.

He commended TCI, Devcom, and media personnel for their commitment to FP in the state and assured them of more government support to achieve the desired objectives.

Also speaking, Musa Ubandawaki, the media coordinator of the project, said journalists carried out field trips at PHCs and facilitated advocacy visits and door-to-door sensitisation to communities.

Mr Ubandawaki reassured us that in the coming year, journalists will redouble efforts on family planning awareness to encourage more acceptance and stakeholders’ commitment to the services.

(NAN)