The Nigeria Solidarity Support Fund (NSSF) with the support of Global Citizen has launched its 3rd ‘WeNaija’ campaign to build the capacity of Nigerian youths on advocacy for Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine uptake, community participation and other health issues.
The General Manager of NSSF, Dr Fejiro Chinye-Nwoko, unveiled the ‘WeNaija Awareness to Action Campaign’ yesterday during a virtual media parley.
The federal government had earlier announced that it would be introducing HPV vaccine into the country’s immunization programme to protect girls between age 9 and 14 years against cervical cancer.
Chinye-Nwoko said the “WeNaija” Campaign is an innovative way to get more youths between the ages of 18 and 35 involved in asking the right questions to improve their communities and hold leaders accountable.
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She said, “We aim to strengthen leadership and governance of the health sector by supporting the youth to advocate on important health issues that affect them and their communities such as HPV infection and vaccine availability.
“We aim to raise awareness about the HPV vaccine and its importance in preventing cervical cancer. 2023 WeNaija campaign will ask youths to create video content that will raise awareness and uptake of the HPV vaccine.”
She said the campaign recognizes that social media is not just a tool for awareness but also a platform for civic engagement and creative expression, adding that by actively participating in the discussions, sharing their thoughts, and creating content, youths become stakeholders in the conversation about healthcare and immunization.
“We hope that more Nigerians will understand the benefits of vaccination and importantly take their girls aged 9-14 to get the HPV vaccine once the national campaign commences.
“We also hope to build a vibrant community of advocates for healthcare improvement through active participation and social media conversations,” she added.
The NSSF CEO said the organization was inspired to carry out the annual youth engagement campaign because it was dedicated to improving health outcomes, and the fact that it recognises that an estimated 74.9 million are between the ages of 18 and 35, as reported by the Population Pyramid 2023.
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