Journalist who champions Maternal and Newborn Health via radio

Surajo Ma'aji receives MamaYe! Champions Award for his work in maternal and newborn health in Bauchi State.

If that was true, then making information available to those who do not have it must be a way to empower them. And when people are empowered, they can make decisions that will better their lives.Think about this: only 15.2% of women without education demand for family planning, while a higher percentage, 50.8% of women with primary school education demand for it. Also, women with primary or higher education attend antenatal care the 4 required times, more than women without education (source). Family planning usage and the 4 required antenatal care attendance could help to improve the health of women and newborns, and cut maternal and newborn mortality rates. But, have you imagined a person without both education and information? They abound everywhere, around us. It is a situation that accounts for high level of poor maternal and newborn health.Take Bauchi State as an example. It is one of the worst in maternal and newborn survival in northeast Nigeria. In Kirfi Local Government of the State, a broadcaster, Surajo Ma’aji encountered a community of people who mostly had no education, and thus were poorly informed about their health.Surajo was posted to become the area manager at Kirfi Community FM Station, where he decided that the community needed his help, as he felt uncomfortable with the health situation, especially as it related to pregnant women and newborns.Having been a broadcaster since 1989, 52-year-old Surajo took action by working with his colleagues to design programmes that would educate and inform the Kirfi community.When I had a chat with Surajo, he told me that “We started out with health education. It is predominantly a Fulani area with very low level of education and awareness. We got support from TSHIP and UNICEF to develop programmes.”Surajo and his team came up with 2 radio programmes on health education, some of the time focusing on immunisation. The programmes were Kula da lafiya: Health Guide and Rariya Matata: Social Sieve or Better Living.The community became excited about the radio programmes, to the point that the Ward Development Committee became participants on the shows and helped monitor the impact within the community.Between 2012 and 2013 when Surajo ran the 2 radio shows, he said “UNICEF told us about improvement in immunisation from 29% to 75%. They commended us for our contribution but we continued with the programme till I was posted to another FM station.”When Surajo left Kirfi FM for Alkhaleri FM Station also in Bauchi State, he said he used the same strategy to help the community. He again invited non-governmental organisations to use the free airtime he provided to deliver health information to the community.“When I left Kirfi and Alkhaleri, my former staff informed me that the programmes were still on and I get positive feedback that people are still following the shows.”Now that Surajo is wearing a bigger broadcasting cap as Zonal Director in Azare, a different community and local government, according to him, “There is still more to do.“After I visited many areas in Azare, I am planning to do my best to do more to educate the public on maternal and newborn health. We are planning a programme to educate the public. They (radio show producers) used to travel to Jigawa (neighbouring) State to produce programmes but now that we are here, we will be doing it here.”Surajo was one of MamaYe awardees and champions during MamaYe launch in Bauchi State. He is using the radio platform to provide information to educate his people about maternal and newborn health. Now, many of his people are able to make informed health decisions because of his actions.Surajo Ma'aji receives MamaYe! Champions Award for contributing to the development of Maternal and Newborn Health in Bauchi StateMore Surajos - not only in Bauchi State but also across Nigeria - mean better health for our pregnant women and newborns. 

Share this article