Yemisi Izuora
In commencement of the second phase of its Pampers Rigakafi program, Procter & Gamble (P&G), has partnered with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development’s program to promote child health, improve child nutrition, and increase immunization rates in rural and peri-urban communities of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Through this partnership, P&G donated over 250,000 Pampers diapers which will serve as incentives for mothers to bring their children to the health centers. The initiative which was announced at the official handover to the Minister of Women Affairs in Abuja will extend its impact through partnerships with other stakeholders in the coming weeks.
As a force for good in the communities where it operates, P&G launched the Pampers Rigakafi program to promote child health in Nigeria through immunization.
During the first phase of this program, the company donated over 2 million diapers to Federal Government and state governments including the Integrated Medical Outreach Program (I-MOP) of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency. Since the takeoff of this program, P&G has impacted over 100,000 infants and increased immunization rates in the participating communities.
Speaking about the launch of the second phase of the program and the partnership with Ministry of Women Affairs, the P&G Senior Director for Africa, Global Government Relations & Public Policy, Dr. Mrs. Temitope Iluyemi said, “At P&G, we are a force for good and we are committed to improving the lives of people in the communities where we live and work. We have continued to deliver this promise for over 27 years in Nigeria.”
“This is the first of our many partnerships in the second phase of the Pampers Rigakafi program. We are honored to support the child health programs of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development with the donation of 250,000 Pampers diapers which will be used to promote infant health through increased immunization and antenatal and post-natal care within the rural and peri-urban communities of the Federal Capital Territory.”, Dr. Mrs. Iluyemi added
In her remarks, Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Dame Pauline Tallen, added, “The obligations of child health and immunization cannot be overemphasized.
This is why we are grateful to P&G for supporting our drive to meet the health needs of the Nigerian child from inception to infant stage which requires immense attention to enhance their overall growth and wellbeing.
Their support will not only intensify our efforts in maternal and child health, nursing mothers will also be encouraged to visit the various Primary Health Centers (PHCs) across the FCT for antenatal and post-natal care, birth registration, immunization whilst also promoting nutrition through exclusive breast feeding.”
For over 25 years in Nigeria, Procter & Gamble, producer of notable brands like Always, Ariel, Pampers, Gillette, Oral B and Safeguard, has been an active investor in Nigeria, creating over 4,000 jobs through its manufacturing operations in Ibadan and Lagos and its world class distributor center in Agbara.
P&G’s Children Safe Drinking Water program (CSDW) has provided hundreds of million liters of safe drinking water in Nigeria helping to prevent possible death and disease from contaminated water while its Always/UNESCO program is empowering over 110,000 Nigerian girls and women with basic literacy and skills development through ICT.