Nigeria

The severe flooding in Nigeria has caused mass displacement of over 1.4 million people. The greatest health risks from the flooding are cholera outbreaks and stagnant flood waters which are a breeding ground for mosquitos and other vectors that spread deadly diseases such as malaria, typhoid, and dengue fever. Project HOPE is continuing to assess the situation as we consider a potential response.

About Nigeria

The situation in Nigeria is urgent. The United Nations has warned that more than 2.7 million children in Nigeria under 5 are suffering from severe acute malnutrition. The World Food Programme has warned that Nigeria is on “high alert” due to access restrictions in areas that are at emergency levels of food insecurity. More than 8 million people need humanitarian assistance, including nearly 600,000 people who are forced to go days without food.

Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, home to 180 million people and the largest economy on the continent. Although the country is rich in natural resources, poverty is widespread and health care infrastructure is poor. The majority of the health workforce is concentrated in urban areas, making access to services especially difficult for women and children living in more remote areas of the country. Vulnerable populations suffer from a range of health threats including food insecurity and infectious diseases like malaria and HIV/AIDS.

In northeast Nigeria, conflict and insecurity have displaced millions of families over the last decade and left 10.6 million people in need of urgent assistance.

The Challenges

Conflict and Food Insecurity

Ongoing conflict and a lack of humanitarian access have led to an urgent humanitarian crisis in Nigeria. More than 8 million people need humanitarian assistance. Six states in particular are affected (Borno, Adamawa and Yobe in the northeast; Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara in the northwest). The World Food Programme has placed Nigeria on “high alert” due to access restrictions in areas that are at emergency levels of food insecurity.

The HIV Epidemic

Nigeria has the second-largest HIV epidemic in the world. It’s estimated that two out of every three new HIV infections in West and Central Africa occur in Nigeria.

The country has made progress in reducing new infections since 2000, but there were still about 1.8 million people living with HIV in 2019. More than half of them were women. In 2018, just over half of all adults living with HIV were on treatment, while only 35% of children living with HIV were on treatment.

The epidemic has led to a large population of orphans and vulnerable children. In 2018, 1 million children in Nigeria were orphaned by HIV/AIDS. Nigeria also has one of the highest burdens of tuberculosis in the world, with TB/HIV co-infection becoming an increasing concern for those living with HIV.

Bringing HOPE to Nigeria

Our History in Nigeria

Project HOPE has been working in Nigeria since 2012. In 2014, during the Ebola crisis, we collaborated with the CDC Foundation, the African Field Epidemiology Network, and the College of Medicine at the University of Lagos to improve infection prevention and support health facilities. In 2017, we deployed a team of health and nutrition experts to assess the humanitarian and health needs of internally displaced families in northeast Nigeria to identify gaps in the humanitarian response.

In recent years, Project HOPE has focused on supporting the government to reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS, prevent new infections, and improve health outcomes for the most at-risk populations — particularly orphans, vulnerable children, and their caregivers. This includes critical work around maternal, newborn, and child health to ensure families have access to adequate nutrition and economic opportunities. We are also focusing on strengthening local health systems to finance and deliver basic services for these populations.

Fighting HIV and Supporting Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health

Since 2014, Project HOPE has worked to improve the quality of life for households with vulnerable children infected or affected by HIV/AIDS in Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, and Kano States. We support improvements that ensure access to better care and protection for children and their caregivers; provide caregivers with financial literacy and nutrition services; and help local organizations improve their capacity to provide quality health services, including HIV and nutrition support.

In Lagos, Project HOPE is currently working to improve access to quality treatment and care for orphans and vulnerable children at risk for and affected by HIV and sexual and gender-based violence. To do so, we are helping local and state governments build their capacities to deliver basic services and respond to child rights violations.

Project HOPE is also working closely with local government leaders to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS on vulnerable children and their households in 10 local government areas through collaboration with local organizations. Previously, Project HOPE has helped build the capacity of local organizations to improve the quality of services for orphans and vulnerable children by increasing access to life-saving treatment.

Project HOPE’s activities to support vulnerable children and their families include broader support for child, maternal, and newborn health. By ensuring that households are economically stable and have access to adequate nutrition, Project HOPE builds the resilience of families by increasing access to health services, education, psychosocial support, and legal protection.

Strengthening Health Systems for Quality and Sustainable Health Service Delivery

Project HOPE strengthens state and local governments by helping improve governance, financing, health service delivery, human resources, and data reporting.

We strengthen health and social systems in Nigeria by improving the capacity of state and local governments so that they can better respond to the needs of orphans and vulnerable children by mobilizing domestic resources from the public and private sectors.

Project HOPE also works with local and state governments to strengthen their governance structures for the successful and sustainable implementation of health initiatives to support orphans and vulnerable children. Project HOPE equips local government entities with the tools they need to ensure that these vital programs are sustained and financed for years to come, including the creation of budget lines and technical committees to oversee program implementation.

We are working with local stakeholders to secure public and private financing to support orphans and vulnerable children, including the development of operational plans, the establishment of child protection centers to link children with vital support services, and the deployment of staff to implement interventions. Finally, Project HOPE is helping to build local capacities in data reporting and management so that government leaders can make evidence-based and data-informed decisions that will benefit the lives of vulnerable children, their families, and their caregivers.

Responding to COVID-19

In response to COVID-19 in Nigeria, Project HOPE has distributed PPE to state governments, isolation centers, health facilities, and Community-Based Organizations to protect health workers and patients against COVID-19 infection.

Our Impact

Since 2014, Project HOPE has reached more than 210,000 orphans and vulnerable children in Nigeria with health services. We’ve also trained more than 130,000 caregivers in various aspects of care, support, and protection services for children.

This year alone, Project HOPE will reach thousands of children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS by linking them to services, while building the capacity of government institutions to improve the lives of vulnerable children and their caregivers.