NURHI Phase 1 (2009 – 2015)
Phase 1 of NURHI was implemented in six cities (Federal Capital Territory, Ibadan, Ilorin, Kaduna, Benin and Zaria). According to the 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, it contributed to significant increases in contraceptive prevalence in these cities.
Life Planning for Adolescents and Youths (LPAY)
NURHI’s demand generation approach for adolescents and young people focused on providing accurate information about modern contraception, promoting sexual responsibility and life planning skills, and triggering discussions about reproductive health and contraception at household and community levels. NURHI 2 did this through a combination of social mobilisation, mass media and social media.
NURHI 2 worked with existing social mobilisation structures in Kaduna, Lagos and Oyo to create general awareness and basic knowledge about life planning, and to address factors that prevented adolescents and young people from making healthy life choices. NURHI 2 trained social mobilisers on youth-focused messaging and activities using the social mobiliser’s training curriculum on life planning for adolescent and youth. Social mobilizers learned how to trigger conversations about life planning and adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health during neighbourhood campaigns, community dialogues and key life events in their communities.
NURHI 2 produced a LPAY Z-card guides to guide young persons making responsible life choices and healthy decisions about their reproductive health. The card conveys complete and correct information about reproductive health, life planning, sexual abstinence, self esteem, assertiveness, negotiation, goal-setting, and where to get information and services. Social mobilizers distributed Z-fold cards to adolescents and youth participating in demand generation activities.
Youth Social Mobilisers sensitizing young people during Youth Engagement in Mushin LGA
NURHI 2 also collaborated with the National Youth Service Corps to integrate LPAY into the existing HIV/AIDS core peer educator training in the three intervention states, as described in the Framework for NURHI 2 Engagement with National Youth Service Corps.
NURHI 2 integrated life planning into radio and television programming. Radio serial dramas in each State included adolescent and youth characters and storylines, and the radio programmes featured vox pops and testimonies from adolescents and youth. NURHI 2 also produced radio and television spots featuring the popular Get it Together song and music video which carried messages on responsible sexuality and life planning.
As social media was very popular with adolescents and youth in the three States, NURHI 2 and partner Devcoms linked young bloggers with family planning experts to provide correct answers to family planning questions on WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Through a platform dubbed #FPFriday, NURHI 2 reached an estimated 20 million people with reproductive health information.