The Society for Women Children Initiative (SWOCHI) has intensified efforts to promote immunisation awareness in Kano State through a community sensitization outreach at Sabo Garba Primary Healthcare in Fagge layin bola, Fagge Local Government Area in Kano state, urging parents and caregivers to prioritise vaccination to protect children against preventable diseases.
The outreach, conducted on Thursday, October 22, 2026, was part of activities marking 33-day power up immunisation campaign conducted by SWOCHI in collaboration with NiYEL under the theme, “For Every Generation, Vaccines Work.”
Led by Comrade Lawal Abdusalam, Programme Officer of SWOCHI, the initiative targeted health facility staff and polio survivors while also sensitising women and members of the general public on the importance of immunisation.
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The programme aimed to strengthen public understanding of vaccination, encourage vaccine acceptance and promote community participation in protecting children against vaccine-preventable diseases.
Speaking during the outreach, Abdusalam explained that the sensitization was designed to educate health facility staff and polio survivors on the importance of immunisation and their potential roles in encouraging vaccination within their communities.
He stressed the importance of engaging different groups in public health awareness to ensure that accurate information about immunisation reaches parents, caregivers and other community members.
As part of 33-day power up immunisation campaign activities, SWOCHI also conducted advocacy visits to stakeholders, organised a town hall meeting with stakeholders and carried out market sensitization to extend immunisation awareness beyond healthcare facilities.
These activities were aimed at strengthening stakeholder participation, encouraging community dialogue and reaching members of the public in different settings with information about the benefits of vaccination.
The advocacy visits provided an opportunity to engage relevant stakeholders on the importance of immunisation, while the town hall meeting created a platform for discussions on vaccination awareness and community involvement.
The market sensitization campaign was designed to reach traders, customers and other members of the public with messages encouraging parents and caregivers to ensure that their children receive recommended vaccinations.
Through these engagements, SWOCHI sought to promote collective responsibility for immunisation and strengthen public support for vaccination programmes.
Fatima Abubakar Bilal, a health attendant at Unguwa Uku Primary Healthcare Centre, advised parents and caregivers to prioritise immunisation as an effective way of protecting children against vaccine-preventable diseases.
She urged parents to ensure that their children receive routine vaccinations according to recommended schedules, emphasising the importance of preventing illnesses that could threaten their health, development and survival.
Bilal’s message highlighted the responsibility of parents and caregivers to work with healthcare professionals to safeguard children’s health through preventive services, including immunisation.
Similarly, Hauwa Mustapha, a health student undertaking an internship at the facility, urged members of the public to seek professional medical attention whenever they experience health problems in their daily lives.
Mustapha encouraged people not to neglect symptoms or delay seeking appropriate care, stressing the importance of consulting qualified healthcare professionals when health concerns arise.
Her message reinforced the broader public health objective of encouraging people to seek appropriate medical advice and make informed decisions about their health.
A major contribution to the sensitization campaign came from Binta Yusif Abubakar, a woman living with a physical disability and a polio survivor, who warned against vaccine rejection and the stigmatization of people living with disabilities.
Abubakar urged parents not to prevent their children from receiving recommended vaccinations, warning that refusing immunisation exposes children to preventable diseases and threatens their health and well-being.
Drawing from her experience as a polio survivor, she highlighted the importance of protecting children against vaccine-preventable illnesses that can result in serious complications and lifelong disabilities.
She also called for greater understanding and acceptance of people living with disabilities, stressing the importance of preventing stigma and ensuring their inclusion in community health initiatives.
Her participation highlighted the value of involving polio survivors and people with disabilities in immunisation advocacy, particularly in efforts to encourage vaccine acceptance and raise awareness about the consequences of preventable diseases.
The days is an opportunity to promote awareness of the importance of immunisation and encourage communities to support vaccination programmes across the continent.
The 2026 theme, “For Every Generation, Vaccines Work,” emphasises the role of vaccines in protecting people across different stages of life and the importance of sustaining immunisation efforts for present and future generations.
Routine immunisation protects children against several serious infectious diseases, while vaccination programmes also contribute to reducing illness, disability and preventable deaths.
Public health awareness campaigns remain important in addressing misconceptions about vaccines, encouraging parents to follow recommended immunisation schedules and ensuring that communities have access to reliable health information.
By combining healthcare-facility sensitization with stakeholder advocacy, town hall discussions and market outreach, SWOCHI sought to reach a wider audience and encourage collective action in support of immunisation.
The messages delivered during the programme emphasised parental responsibility, professional healthcare guidance, vaccine acceptance and the inclusion of people with disabilities in public health initiatives.
The outreach at Unguwa Uku Primary Healthcare Centre underscored the role of civil society organisations, healthcare workers, community stakeholders and polio survivors in promoting immunisation and protecting children’s health.
As African Vaccination Week 2026 activities continue, SWOCHI’s campaign highlights the importance of sustained community engagement in ensuring that parents and caregivers understand the benefits of vaccination and that every child has the opportunity to receive recommended immunisation.