Rotary and the Gates Foundation launch a $9 million initiative to improve healthcare in Nigeria, tackling malaria, pneumonia, and diarrheal diseases.
Rotary International, in partnership with the Gates Foundation, is launching a significant healthcare initiative aimed at reducing childhood mortality in Nigeria.
The initiative, worth US$9 million, will focus on tackling major diseases affecting children under five—malaria, pneumonia, and diarrheal diseases.
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The programme will begin in Kebbi State, with plans to extend to another state in the near future.
As part of the broader *Rotary Healthy Communities Challenge* (RHCC), the initiative is guided by the Federal Ministry of Health.
Over the next three years, more than 2,750 community health workers will be trained and deployed to provide essential services in diagnosis, treatment, and care for these deadly diseases.
The goal is to significantly reduce preventable deaths among children in targeted regions.
“Rotary is committed to improving health outcomes by empowering communities,” said Dr. Aloysius Dele Balogun, Rotary Country Committee Lead in Nigeria.
“This initiative equips our community healthcare workers with the necessary tools and training to deliver life-saving services at the grassroots level.”
Rotary members, in collaboration with PATH and government officials, will work at both central and local levels to strengthen health systems, ensuring that an estimated 3.5 million people in 700,000 households benefit from the programme.
The initiative will also engage communities in raising awareness about the importance of early disease treatment, improve data collection practices, and support better health decision-making.
Dr. Obinna Onyekwena, Deputy Director of Infectious Diseases Advocacy at the Gates Foundation, highlighted the critical impact of the programme:
“Empowering community health workers and strengthening local healthcare systems in Kebbi State can significantly reduce preventable deaths from malaria, pneumonia, and diarrheal diseases.”
The *Rotary Healthy Communities Challenge* is part of a multi-country initiative aimed at improving health systems and reducing childhood mortality in sub-Saharan Africa.
The programme targets malaria, pneumonia, and diarrheal diseases in Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, and Zambia.
In these countries, Rotary is working with World Vision and the Gates Foundation to implement the initiative, building on the success of previous programmes like *Partners for a Malaria-Free Zambia*.
“Trained community health workers are crucial in saving lives by detecting and treating infections early,” said Dr. Ayebatari Lawson, Team Lead for PATH MACEPA in Nigeria.
“This initiative strengthens the health system with timely and quality disease data, which is critical for effective disease management.”
Rotary International has a long-standing commitment to tackling some of the world’s most pressing health challenges.
With a network of over 1.2 million members across more than 200 countries, Rotary has awarded US$5.5 billion through The Rotary Foundation, helping clubs deliver impactful service worldwide.
