NUJ, CSOs commit to sustaining Green-the-Red Health Sector campaign

The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the network of Civil Society Organisations in Ebonyi State have committed to collaborate in sustaining the “Green-the-Red” Health Sector project, a campaign aimed at improving health budget in the State.

 

The commitment was the outcome of a one-day Health Sector Advocacy Alliance and Roundtable for the media and CSOs held Monday in Abakaliki, the state capital.

 

The event was organised by the Green-the-Red Health Sector Cluster, a group of eight Civil Society Organizations anchored by Development and Integrity Intervention Goal Foundation, DIG.

 

The group is implementing a programme titled “Addressing Accountability and Budgetary Concerns for Sustainable Healthcare in Ebonyi state, sponsored by the USAID through Palladium, under Strengthening Civic Advocacy and Local Engagement (SCALE) Project.

 

Speaking on behalf of the NUJ, the State Chairman, Samson Nwafor and the Secretary, Nnamdi Akpa commended the Cluster for their achievements in promoting quality health services through advocacy for adequate funding for the sector in the state.

 

Nwafor noted that journalists in the state, and the media in general have much interest in issues around health, and would continue to monitor health facilities and services as well as draw the attention of government to all areas of need in the sector.

 

Nwafor assured: “The NUJ shall continue to partner with you to ensure that your beautiful programmes achieve the desired results in the state as we look forward to having more engagement of this nature with you”

 

The Deputy Coordinator, Ebonyi State Network of Civil Society Organizations, Goodness Mgbaja in her remarks said the network was prepared to take the campaign beyond the support of funders, promising to own the projects for continued advancement in health funding in the state.

 

She pledged the readiness of CSOs to collaborate with the media and the Green-the-Red Cluster to keep the programe activities running.

 

Speaking on the objectives of the meeting, the Executive Director of DIG Foundation, Oliver Chima Ajah stated that it was to strategize on ways of sustaining the campaign beyond funding from Palladium.

 

He noted that the project which was initially meant to last for a year was cut short, hence the need to sustain it through collaborative effort

 

Aja explained: “We have come not only to build alliance, but also to strategize on sustainability approaches for the Green-the-Red project.

 

“The project is about to end but we are from Ebonyi State, and there is a need to sustain the project.”

 

Part of the strategies suggested for sustaining the project by the participants include joint advocacy and community engagements, establishment of joint Community of Practice and collaborative engagement of the government.

 

Others were joint investigation and monitoring of health projects and budgetary releases to the sector with the media constantly drawing government attention to the reds in budget implementation, among others.

 

The meeting provided an avenue for experience sharing and highlighting the achievements of the project by other cluster member organisations; Abraham Children Foundation, Da’wah and Guidance Bureau of Nigeria, Faith Community Counseling Organization, Methodist Care Ministry, Ohinya Global Resources and Technology for Transformative Development .