Nigeria

    1. Increasing Women's Access to Skilled Pregnancy Care in Nigeria

    Less than one-third of Nigerian women receive skilled care during delivery. Further, only 65% of women receive antenatal care during pregnancy. In areas of the country with the highest maternal and perinatal death rates, there are stark disparities in access to health care. For example, less than 10% of pregnant women in Sokoto and Kebbi states receive antenatal care and less than 5% have skilled care during delivery.

    For the most part, women's reasons for not accessing maternal health services include a lack of money to pay for health services, lack of transportation, perceptions about the negative attitudes of health workers, and lack of permission from husbands and other family members. This project aims to reduce maternal and perinatal deaths
    This project seeks to provide insight into the issue by identifying the supply and demand factors that influence improved access to maternal health care services in Nigeria, particularly for rural women. With this base, the project is developing an implementation plan to expand its work to six geo-politicalzones in Nigeria.

    This is withthe main goal of improving vulnerable women's access and use of maternal health services during and after childbirth. PROJECT LEADERS
    Friday Okonofua
    Sanni Yaya

    INSTITUTIONS
    Incorporated Trustees of Women's Health and Action Research Centre
    University of Ottawa/Université d'Ottawa

    INSTITUTIONS WEBSITES
    http://www.wharc-online.org
    http://www.uottawa.ca

    TOTAL FUNDING
    CA$ 286,520

    2. Scaling Up Care for Perinatal Depression for Improved Maternal and Infant Health in Nigeria

    Even though effective treatments are available, perinatal depression often goes untreated, especially in low- and middle-income countries where there are shortages of mental health specialist resources. This project aims to address this challenge by demonstrating how community midwives who are trained to work in resource-constrained settings can deliver effective interventions for depression among new mothers.
    The World Health Organization (WHO) produced the Mental Health Gap Action Programme Intervention Guide to help non-specialists recognize and treat select mental health conditions, including perinatal depression. The project team is testing the guide's effectiveness in providing support to mothers with perinatal depression at the community level.
    Using a participatory research approach, researchers are training community midwives in Osun State, Nigeria. The training aims to enhance their skills so they can identify and support women with perinatal depression.
    The research is also identifying organizational factors that can support the scaling up of mental health services in Nigeria. The project is helping generate knowledge on the training methods that can equip midwives with skills to deliver care for perinatal depression.
    The findings will help strengthen efforts in other low- and middle-income countries to develop relevant strategies and programs to address perinatal depression.


    PROJECT LEADER
    Psych Oye Gureje

    INSTITUTION
    University of Ibadan

    INSTITUTION WEBSITE
    http://www.comui.edu.ng

    TOTAL FUNDING
    CA$ 999,400

    3. Video Edutainment: Impact on Maternal and Infant Outcomes in Toro, Nigeria

    Faced with one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, Nigeria has identified maternal and child health as a priority issue. This project is contributing to addressing this problem through research that is assessing the reception, cost, and impact of home visits. It is also examining how
    video "edutainment" (educational entertainment) and other tools can influence maternal and infant outcomes.

    Women at the highest risk in Nigeria are those who are least able to attend health facilities to receive conventional antenatal care during pregnancy. Typically, they are socially isolated, overworked, impoverished, subjected to gender violence, and poorly educated. Community action and education have a central role to play in ensuring that mothers and their infants have access to health care.

    The project team will engage government officials to maximize opportunities to integrate home visits into health services for pregnant women and their spouses in randomly selected wards of the Toro Local Government Authority. The goal is to scale up these approaches at the national level.

    The project aims to offer a better understanding of how home visits and video education during pregnancy can influence health outcomes.

    PROJECT LEADERS
    Yagana Gidado
    Anne Cockcroft

    INSTITUTION
    The Federation of Muslim Women Association in Nigeria
    The Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning/McGill University

    INSTITUTION WEBSITE
    http://www.mcgill.ca

    TOTAL FUNDING
    CA$ 943,520

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