UNICEF and Delta State sign programme agreement

The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) and Nigeria’s Delta State signed a US $360,000 year-long agreement on Wednesday to improve health, nutrition and education of women and children, a UNICEF official told IRIN on Tuesday. The health component of the project focuses on HIV/AIDS education, and on immunisation. The education segment places emphasis on implementation UNICEF’s ‘Child Friendly School Initiative’, Planning and Evaluation officer Godwin Nwabunka told IRIN. This aims to create a school environment that is conducive to learning, Nwabunka said. Sensitising the media and state authorities to focus on children’s issues is also a major aspect of the plan, Nwabunka added. However, UNICEF says the lack of political will at the state level, frequent staff changes and the difficulty in finding the suitable operating partner have impeded implementation of the programme. In addition, physical access to some of the state’s riverine communities has been difficult. UNICEF contributed US $190,000 to the programme and the state $170,000.