The Challenge Initiative (TCI) typically engages directly with a local government for about three and a half years. During that time, TCI strengthens local health systems and the capacity of health staff through a customized package of coaching, tools, and resources so local governments can design, fund, and lead their own family planning programs. As the end of direct engagement nears, TCI’s coaching and Challenge Fund support declines as the local government prepares for “graduation.” Once graduated, the local government is on the path to self-reliance but still has access to TCI University and coaching on demand while TCI continues to monitor for sustained impact.
Ogun State in Nigeria graduated from TCI’s direct support in September 2021. Since graduating, Ogun State has sustained several of the high-impact practices and other interventions that were implemented with support from TCI. This includes continued use of social mobilizers that were trained by TCI. Between October 2021 to September 2022, a total of 1,159 social mobilization events were implemented by these mobilizers, with 13,182 persons referred for family planning services and 2,357 completing referrals and accessing various family planning methods.
Family planning in-reaches were also sustained with the state government continuing to finance and release funds for this intervention. The state conducted 150 facility in-reaches between October 2021 and September 2022, with 2,229 clients accessing family planning services.
Overall, Ogun state recorded an 80% increase in adjusted family planning client volume when a baseline period (12 months before TCI implementation began) was compared to the latest period (December 2022) in TCI-supported local government areas.
Ogun State has increased family planning client volume by 80% since TCI engaged the state in September 2017.
Financial Commitment Sustained
After graduation, Ogun State continued to release funds for family planning and adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health (AYSRH) services. Between October 2021 and September 2022, 12,976,000 Naira (USD $31,571) was released for the implementation of family planning/AYSRH interventions.
In addition to those listed above, this funding supported capacity strengthening activities such as family planning supportive supervision (FPSS) and data quality assessments.
Since graduating from TCI, Ogun State continues to be intentional in sustaining the gains it made in improving access to family planning services, especially in under-resourced urban communities, and improving urban health systems.
