Pathfinder Project - ENHANSE. NIgeria.

Pathfinder is a partner in the USAID-funded Enabling HIV & AIDS, TB and Social Sector Environment Project (ENHANSE). Led by Constella Futures, ENHANSE seeks to create an enabling environment necessary to promote and sustain access to high quality health and basic education programs. Pathfinder’s role in ENHANSE focuses on the training and sensitization of religious leaders in the Muslim-dominated North. As one of the first reproductive health organizations to gain acceptance and respect in Northern Nigeria, Pathfinder has developed a number of key relationships with faith-based organizations and Muslim leaders in the North. In many parts of this region, which has traditionally shunned western influence, Islamic Shari’a law holds considerable influence. Fertility rates (7 births per women) and infant mortality rates (125 deaths per 1,000 live births) are substantially higher, and use of modern contraceptives (3 percent) lower than in Nigeria as a whole. In order to affect change in these areas and earn the trust of these communities, it is essential to work directly with local religious leaders. Since 2004, ENHANSE has achieved ground-breaking progress in gaining recognition and acceptance among faith-based organizations in northern Nigeria.

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Contributor: Anuradha Bhattacharjee
Published Date: March 24, 2008