RAISE Assessments Help Strengthen Capacity in Abia State, Nigeria, to Implement AYRH Interventions

Contributor: Obasesam Edet

Dr. Maryann Ekwuribe serves as a senior staff member in the Adolescent and Youth Reproductive Health (AYRH) Unit of the Abia State Primary Health Care Development Agency.

Dr. Maryann Ekwuribe is a senior staff member in the Adolescent and Youth Reproductive Health (AYRH) Unit of the Abia State Primary Health Care Development Agency. Even as a senior staff member, she at times felt under-utilized and not always certain what exactly was expected of her in the Unit.

When The Challenge Initiative (TCI) introduced its Reflection and Action to Improve Self-reliance and Effectiveness (RAISE) assessment tool to Abia state, Dr. Maryann was selected by the state to be part of the assessment team. Recently, she shared her enthusiasm for the tool:

RAISE is a good assessment tool that gives room for improvement in the quality of FP and AYRH services.”

After the first round of the RAISE assessment, job roles and expectations became clearer for Dr. Maryann, who said:

RAISE assessment has been beneficial to AYRH services in my state by exposing our weaknesses, so we can make amendments and strengthen those areas we are struggling with. Personally, the RAISE assessment has given me more insight and knowledge about my job and the ways to improve its delivery.”

The RAISE assessment promotes organizational learning, fosters an environment for sharing best practices and enables state governments to own their improvement plans. Through this reflective self-assessment tool, governments and their stakeholders can evaluate the quality of family planning high-impact interventions, identify key areas in need of strengthening, develop a concrete action plan for improvement, monitor the progress of the action plan, and pinpoint program aspects that can serve as models for other states and local government family planning programs.

Dr. Maryann concluded that:

RAISE should be sustained in Abia state to enshrine quality service delivery especially in AYRH services.”