…..,..With ‘Vaccinate Your Superstar To Win’
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has partnered Lagos State Primary Health Care Board on polio vaccination as they took awareness to the football pitch with a programme tagged: ‘Vaccinate Your Superstar To Win’.
The event with the theme “Kick Away Zero Dozen and Polio – One Goal at a Time” which has been on with a Health Awareness Tournament Match had over twenty matches played within the different zones in Lagos with sixty goals scored across matches.
According to the organisers the programme was to promote male involvement and to improve routine immunization uptake among children.
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Speaking at the final of the football match held at NITEL Stadium, Oshodi, on Friday, UNICEF Social and Behavior Change Specialist, Aderonke Akinola-Akinwole said the whole essence of the football tournament is to kick away “Zero dose Polio” by actually having men being more active in routine immunization and vaccination for children.
“We believe that men are decision makers; men have authority within the family and within their community and this authority should not just be for provision of basic services for their children, but also to become the most valuable protectors of children and their health when it comes to vaccination.
“Men are important figures in the decision making and we want them to move that power of decision making from the home to the Primary Health Care. “For us, we’re moving from the pitch to the PHC, to ensure that no child is missed because every missed child is a missed opportunity to a chance of life for children.”
She explained further that though women are more engaged when it comes to the issue of immunization, “but when men support immunization, we see a double leap in terms of access. So this football competition is used as an opportunity to herald the support of men to champion routine immunization, to reduce zero dose and also champion polio vaccination to reduce the outbreak of circulating the virus amongst our children.”
On the success of the programme, Akinola-Akinwole said it has been a success, “we had close to sixty goals altogether including this final and for every goal that is scored, you are scoring a goal in favor of the health of children.
“You can see today that we have not just UNICEF but we have a community of men, male influencers from the community, from the religious aspect, from even the technocrats, we have representatives of the government here. So we are seeing that this is a success it is a collaboration and a commitment to advance the rights of children,” she said.
Speaking on the expectation from the collaboration, she said the expectation is for all men to be engage in polio immunization and we hope close to five thousand of them will serve as male champions.
“You can see that during this football tournament we have had three hundred male players who have become champions for vaccine, so as they’re using their legs to play, they are also using their mouths to influence their peers and they are championing the course.
“We have also seen collaboration with existing football clubs; so these football clubs have become champions for immunization in Lagos,” she explained.
She urged parents especially men to be all out for the polio vaccine awareness, adding that every man that loves his or her child, will love his child to be protected. “It is just important that we let go of the myths and misconceptions and we see the future of our children as one that must be invested into and part of the investment is ensuring that every child gets vaccinated, irrespective of where they are and to whom they are born to.”
Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Primary Health Care Board, Dr. Ibrahim Akinwunmi Mustapha said that the collaboration with UNICEF was to propagate the importance of the use of vaccines especially the polio vaccine which is very important to children as they grow.
He added that the Lagos State government has always champion the importance of having children vaccinated against childhood diseases such as Polio, measles and many others but still there are some set of people that are still not seeing it as an important aspect of children growth.
“We have heard a lot of stories with regards to vaccines and I must say the state government has always taken immunization against diseases a priority especially Polio and we are ready to do more to have healthy children in the state.
He urged parents to make it a priority too, adding that the players on the pitch may not have been able to play football if they hadn’t taken the vaccine at the right age when they are growing up.
“Do you think a child that has developed paralysis will be able to play like this? Will that child be able to compete favorably with his or her peers? Will that child reach his or her full potential? NO! So if we want our children to become governors, commissioners, footballers, engineers and many more, we have to give them vaccines. If we don’t give them these vaccines, they won’t grow up as they ought to,” he stated.
The final of the football match which was between Great Olympic FA, Mushin and VINOD FA, Agege was full of thrills with VINOD FA winning the first place with a 3-2 penalty after a 2-2 draw during the game.
The First place winner, VINOD FA was rewarded with a cash prize of N500,000 and a trophy, while Great Olympic FA, was rewarded with N300,000 and a trophy.
Third place winner received N250, 000 and the fourth position was rewarded with N150, 000.
Representatives of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Staff of the Lagos State Primary Health Care Board, Community leaders, market women, were at the event to cheer the players during the tournament with the urge to take the message of polio vaccine awareness to their communities and homes.
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