By Suzan Edeh, Bauchi
In Bauchi State, fathers are championing immunization campaign, nutrition, maternal and child health, exclusive breastfeeding, Water, hygiene and Sanitation services through an initiative known as Father For Good Health.The initiative engages experienced fathers, first-time dads and young single men as volunteers to improve vaccine acceptance and promote healthy behaviours in thier communities.
The Fathers for Good Health is a UNICEF-led initiative focused on engaging fathers in promoting positive health-seeking behaviors, particularly regarding childhood immunization.The initiative seeks to leverage fathers’ influence within their communities to encourage wider acceptance and uptake of vaccines and other essential healthcare services.
Since it’s inception in 2024, the Fathers for Good Health Support Group membership has spread across seven local government areas of the state where it is currently working. The support group was first established in two Local Government Areas of Ningi and Misau with 360 fathers as members in the pilot programme.
Currently, the group membership of the group stands at 1,130 and efforts are on top gear to spread the membership to the remaining 13 local government areas of the state.
The impact, how fathers are resolving Zero dose immunization
Bauchi state has been largely characterised by poor health indices, particularly in the area of immunization. In the area of Immunization coverage, Bauchi state remains a concern, with significant numbers of children not fully vaccinated. While progress has been made, challenges persist in reaching all children with the necessary vaccines. Despite efforts to improve immunization rates, including initiatives to identify and reach “zero-dose” children (those who haven’t received any vaccines) and addressing barriers to vaccination, achieving full Immunization coverage still remains a battle.
According to the 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey and National Immunization Coverage survey, Bauchi state in the Northeast has a 35 percent Zero dose rate which is second to Sokoto State which has a 51 percent rate.Zero dose means a child that has never received any of the doses according to their home based vaccination record or card.The latest report from UNICEF states that 13 out of 20 local governments have zero dose children, which implies that almost 556,000 children have never received any vaccine.
In the month of April 2025, the Bauchi State Government, in collaboration with UNICEF flagged off a week-long polio immunization campaign with 2.5 million doses of polio vaccine to end the zero dose status in the state.
During the immunization coverage, the Fathers for Good health Support Group played a vital role in resolving so many cases of non-compliances in the local government areas of the state.Together with the UNICEF team, they were able to track households resisting the vaccines for children by talking to the heads of families who were later convinced about the safety and importance of the vaccines for their children.
” It was a tough job for us during the immunization coverage because there were so many misconceptions about the vaccines.However, we were able to resolve these cases because even before the immunization campaign, we have been holding meetings with heads of households to educate them on the safety and importance of the vaccines for children.During the field work, we also engaged more Fathers who were resisting the vaccines and thank God, we were able to convince them, thereby resolving some cases of non-compliances” One of the fathers for good health, Abdullahi Suleiman said
A female supporter of the group in Misau LGA, Hajiya Aisha Yusuf narrated how the usually achieve success in resolving cases of non-compliances in their communities.
” In my ward, members of the group usually met three times in a month to track our progress.We usually map out strategies to tackle cases of non-compliances through visitations to heads of households.We also hold meetings with them from time to time because continously sensitization is key to changing mindset.We don’t force them, we only keep talking and showing them the results they will achieve when they immunize thier children” She said
Our motivations, why we love what we do, Group testimonies
In the month of June 2025, UNICEF Bauchi Field Office led a team of journalists on a field visit to Kukadi/Gundari ward in Misau local government area of the state where the fathers have performed excellently well in promoting healthcare delivery system, particularly maternal and child health.
The team of journalists interacted with some of the members of the fathers for good health group who shared their experiences on why they decided to volunteer in improving vaccine acceptance and promote healthy behaviours in thier communities.
The fathers testfied that they are happy to be empowered to become agents of change, resulting in improved health outcomes and a culture of self-care and mutual support, ultimately addressing the problem of zero dose rate in the state and other health related issues.
“There is a deep-rooted cultural mistrust concerning immunization in my community,” says Nura Aliyu, one of the Fathers for good health working in misau lGA
“As a father of two lovely children, I was deeply concerned about the well-being of my people, but I could not do much on my own not until this group was established, I now had the opportunity to contribute my quota to improve the health of members of my community”
” The idea of women giving birth in the hands of unqualified health professionals and cases of malnutrition among children bothered me a lot. Thanks to the Fathers for Good Health Support Group, people now recognize the importance of going to the hospital to give birth to children. Our malnourished children are recovering, thanks to the support we getting from the government and other stakeholders in the state” he said
Ibrahim Musa, another father in the group, says that ” for me, I just wanted to contribute to that change in my community in my own little way and Fathers for Good health gave me that platform because going personally on your own to meet these fathers, nobody will listen to you.Seeing us dressed with our jackets with the UNICEF inscription on it, the communities began to take us seriously and listen to whatever we wanted to say “
47 year old Balarebe Musa who is a polio survival and a member of the Fathers for Good Health also spoke on what inspired him to join the group.According to him, he is not happy seeing children who are victims of polio begging of the streets because of thier condition.
” Had it been their families immunized these children rigth from their birth, they will not be in the position they find themselves. They are supposed to be schools but they cannot because they are not fit.For the compassion I have for victims of polio, I decided to join this group and play my own part in championing immunization so that children do not get polio, thereby fulfilling their dreams”he said
How fathers for good health broke the barriers to reach our children, mothers express joy
Women who are one of the beneficiaries of the activities of Fathers of Good health are basking in the euphoria of how thier health of their families have improved. They are happy that the barriers preventing their children from receiving immunization services are niw broken.
It was gathered that previously, some fathers who were the decision makers of thier families prevented their wives from immunizing their children due to some cultural beliefs and misconceptions about Immunization.
Many women depended on the Influence of fathers for good health to advocate on their behalf in order to eliminate the barrier stopping their children from accessing immunization services in thier communities.
21 year old mother of two, Fatima Adamu and a resident of Jarkasa ward in Misau LGA narrated how all children are now receiving immunization.
According to her, the Fathers for Good Health Support Group broke the jinks in her home as they actively engaged fathers in the communities on the benefits of immunization services for children.
“Initially, my husband instructed me not to allow any health worker come into our house to immunize our children. I had to abide by his instructions because he is the head of the family and anything he says stands.However, when the Fathers for Good Health Support Group started mobilising the men in the community and sensitizing them on the importantce of Immunization, everything changed and my children have been receiving immunization services till date” She said
Aisha Yusuf, another resident of the ward also shared a similar experience where she said her husband was against immunization for thier children, but with the influence of the Fathers for Good Health Support group everything has changed and her children have been participating in all the routine immunization till date.
“Thanks to the influence of the Fathers for Good health Support Group for prevailing on our husbands to allow us release our children to receive immunization.All my children are healthy, they hardly fall sick because they have strong immunities as a result of receiving all the immunization given to them” She said
A grandmother called Yelwa Amadu who is a member of the Mama2 Mama supoort group in the area, testified how she worked with the Fathers for Good health Support Group to address the problem of non-compliance.
She said that together with the group, they usually go from household to household to talk with the fathers regarding the importance of immunization of children.
“There have been a great change since the activities of the group began because the number of children brought by parents to the PHCs to receive immunization has increased greatly.This was not the story before and issues of non-compliances are gradually being resolved courtesy of the activities of this group ” She said
Fathers turning to immunization champions
During a visit to Kukadi/Gundari ward in in Misau local government area of the state, journalists interacted with Mallam Goje, a former antagonist of immunization in his communities.He narrated how he prevented Health workers from vaccinating his children because of some misconceptions he has about Immunization.
With the activities of the group in Mallam
Goje’s community, the one time antagonist of immunization is now advocating to other fathers to immunize their children courtesy of the intervention of the group.
“Before now, I was someone in my community who resisted immunization for my household and I frustrated any attempt by health workers to immunize my children. Now, I have a different mindset with the coming of this Fathers for Good Health Support Group because I can now see the good work they are doing in improving the health of the communities” he said
Bashir Musa Baba Danmallam, a 25-year-old father of two in Darazo local government area of Bauchi state expressed his misgivings concerning vaccinating his children during the polio immunization campaign exercise in the state, saying that he will not forgive his wife if she allows his children to be immunized.
Bashir, who has been married to 20-year-old Najaatu for the past five years, has never allowed the two children to be vaccinated making them be counted amongst the thousands of vaccination zero dose children in Bauchi State.
Corroborating what the wife said, Bashir Musa said that he told his wife not to allow the children to be vaccinated or immunized, not even in the hospital facilities.
When asked what his reason is, he simply said, “No reason, I just don’t want my children immunized nor vaccinated. I have not heard anything bad about the vaccines, but I don’t want it for my children.It is personal, while growing up, I did not see my parents allowing the children to be vaccinated and immunized, so, I don’t see the reason to veer off that stance.”
It took the intervention of the UNICEF team along with the Fathers for Good Health Support Group to convince him to accept to immunize his children. Currently, updates on Bashir revealed that he now championing the benefits of Immunization to other fathers who were against immunization their children.
Sustainability plan, how government is taking ownership of the initiative
The UNICEF Bauchi Field Office Social Behaviour Change SBC Specialist Mr. George Eki said that the state government has owned it by ensuring that the state Primary Health Care integrate the activities of the group into its work plan.
“We have some new projects coming to Bauchi and Adamawa state, and all of them have built into the Fathers for Good Health.So we have transfered ownership of the group to the state government”
Regarding the expansion of the group, the UNICEF SBzc Specialist said, “Interestingly, we have funding from the Canadian govt, making it possible for us to reach more Fathers and the Fathers are able to reach more Fathers to get their children vaccinated, but interestingly one of the things we have built into the Fathers for Good Health is all voluntarily, they are not paid, that is the most in the most interesting part of their work”