By Seyi Odewale
The Rotary Foundation has deepened its involvement in Nigeria’s healthcare sector with the expansion of its Together for Healthy Families in Nigeria programme, a $5 million initiative aimed at reducing maternal and child mortality nationwide.
Chair of The Rotary Foundation, Holger Knaack, made this known in Abuja after an interactive session with the Rotary Action Group for Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health (Rotary-RMCH). Accompanied by his wife, Suzanne, Knaack described the initiative as one of Rotary’s most transformative projects on the African continent.
“What we are seeing here is the result of more than 25 years of collaboration between Rotarians, volunteers, and government health officials,” Knaack said. “Together, we have achieved measurable progress in reducing maternal and child deaths. That’s the true impact of partnership.”
He explained that Rotary’s development model prioritises scalable and measurable projects that guarantee sustainable results. “Our goal is always impact. It’s not just about doing good, but about doing the right thing — and doing it at scale,” he added.
According to him, the programme, initially valued at $2 million, has attracted international partnerships, increasing total funding to nearly $5 million through collaborations with countries such as Germany.
He also disclosed that the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation has pledged an additional $5 million to strengthen the initiative over the coming years.
Trustee of The Rotary Foundation, Ijeoma Pearl Okoro, hailed the programme as a milestone, noting that it remains only the second Programme of Scale ever approved globally by Rotary.
National Coordinator and Country Director of the programme, Prof. Adedolapo Lufadeju, explained that the project is designed to provide mothers and newborns with critical healthcare interventions aimed at reducing maternal and neonatal mortality by 25 per cent.
“The programme has improved systemic access to lifesaving services, producing an immediate and lasting impact not only on mothers and babies but on the entire community,” Lufadeju said.
He revealed that the programme commenced in November 2022 with four pilot locations — the FCT (Abuja Municipal Area Council), Nasarawa (Akwanga and Lafia LGAs), Gombe (Gombe and Yamaltu-Deba LGAs), and Ekiti (Ado-Ekiti and Ijero LGAs) — covering 49 healthcare facilities.
