Abuja – On August 11, 2020, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director Stephen M. Haykin joined Adamawa State First Lad Hajiya Lami Ahmadu Finitri, at the virtual launch of a new activity designed to protect children and their households made vulnerable or orphaned by the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Nigeria’s Adamawa State. The activity was recently launched in Bauchi State as well.

The $19.2 million Integrated Child Health and Social Services Award Region 4 (ICHSSA 4) activity will work to protect more than 450,000 Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) in a total of six states. Using integrated approach, it will both protect young people from the stigma of association with HIV and help eliminate the perception of people living with HIV as anything less than fully productive community members.

“This USAID assistance will help Nigeria achieve a healthier, more resilient and educated population through support to children and their families made vulnerable by HIV,” Haykin said at the launch. “We hope its successful practices and procedures can be duplicated and scaled up by state and local governments both in Bauchi and Adamawa.”

Over the next five years, ProHealth International will implement ICHSSA 4 in concert with other indigenous non-governmental and governmental organizations in Adamawa and Bauchi states to provide much needed HIV prevention, treatment, protection, and care and support services to more than 76,000 vulnerable children and their households. Working with indigenous community-based organizations, ICHSSA 4 will respond to specific needs of children living with HIV and their families, survivors of sexual violence, and children and adolescents at high risk of HIV.

The activity will focus on strengthening families, communities, government systems, and civic institutions that care for HIV infected, affected, and at risk OVC and adolescents, and help teens stay healthy, stay in school, and lead safe and stable lives. The five-year ICHSSA 4 will build on the successes of other past and present USAID investments in partnership with local Nigerian organizations and state governments to continue support OVCs, including the launches of COVID-19 Emergency Operation Centers (EOCs) in nine states, and will help further solidify USAID’s relationship with state counterparts.

“It is with a deep appreciation that I welcome Integrated Child Health and Social Services to our state,” First Lady Finitri said in a video address. “This project aligns well with our priorities, and let me assure you, the Adamawa State government will support you fully. Our involved line ministries will work closely with the project team to meet its objectives.”

Other states partnering on ICHSAA initiatives for the next five years include Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Lagos, and Kano.