When I took charge of A360, I was already programming (demand generation) for married adolescents in six northern States of Nigeria using the Safe Space model. Using the Safe Space Approach, we equipped the girls with family planning, reproductive, and family health information. It employed the A360 User-Centered Design approach, which took my view of adolescent health information and service provision to another level. The girls were fully involved in planning, executing, and evaluating strategies, leading to more purposeful, goal-oriented implementation.
I have many memories of communities, partners, and individual girls that I still make reference to in all project implementation. A mother in one community where 9ja Girl was tested and implemented said, “How I wish I had had this opportunity when growing up! And I now quarrel less with my daughters.” (Chikun LGA, Kaduna State). In Igabi LGA, Kaduna State, a husband who has allowed his young wife to return to school is now an entrepreneur alongside her because the girl attends A360 sessions.
During my time on the project, we encountered challenges, and the ones that stood out were slow service uptake and misconceptions about the project. The identification and involvement of Gatekeepers (Community and religious leaders and parents), healthcare providers, government officials, the media and the girls the project was meant for. One incident that stands out for me involves a media agent’s attempt to misrepresent and paint the project where 9ja Girls had been implemented in a bad light. The Executive Secretary of a PHC Agency promptly and deliberately intervened to dispel the misconceptions. The intervention made programming more accepted in that state. The second challenge was low uptake of services even in locations considered fertile for adolescent SRH programming. Use of the Optimization Phase also stood out for me as it allowed the project team to improve service delivery uptake and general acceptance of the program by the adolescents and their gatekeepers in the implementation locations.
Partnerships at different levels made meaningful contributions to the program;
- Partnership with the Child Development Specialists who provided information on adolescents’ brain development and function, including behavioral patterns and expectations.
- Working with anthropologists gave the team perspectives on community and gatekeepers’ thoughts and concerns about programming on SRH for adolescents.
- The Human Centered Design Group, which brought everything together in practical terms, including branding
- Partnership with community members and gatekeepers (mothers and husbands)
- Partnership with healthcare providers
- Partnership with governments at different levels
- Partnership with the adolescents as programmers, service providers, and evaluators
My A360 aha moments include different stakeholders’ sensitivity toward adolescent programming, mothers and female leaders in most intervention communities actively participating in demand generation, and husbands escorting their wives to service delivery points for uptake services. Another highlight is the government’s willingness and active participation in integrating adolescent health services into PHCs and secondary healthcare facilities, including creating a service data collection section on the service register. And last but not least, extending A360, especially the MMA component, to more states, was a big plus for me.
I am most proud to have been an active participant in implementing A360 from the start, helping address systemic barriers and cultural ambiguity surrounding reproductive health, financial literacy, and life skills for young adolescent girls (Clouds to Clear Paths). Working with various partners, including governments, on program planning and implementation is another proud moment for me.
I hope communities, governments, and partners will remember A360 as a flag bearer in adolescent health programming and that A360 will continue to refine its models to reach more adolescents across various locations. The legacy is that adolescent concerns should be at the forefront of health and social service intervention.
Name: Fatima B. Muhammad
Job Title/Role on A360 and Organization: Project Director
Location or Scope of Work – Nigeria
Project or Intervention – MMA and 9ja Girls
Time with A360 – 2016–2020
