Action Health Incorporated (AHI), with support from the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund (NHF), remains committed to providing essential healthcare services to vulnerable populations in Bama and Dikwa Local Government Areas of Borno State. Significant progress was recorded across multiple intervention areas during the first week of March 2025 (3rd to 7th).
Maternal Health: 163 women attended antenatal and postnatal care sessions (65 in Bama and 98 in Dikwa), ensuring they received vital health education, monitoring, and support. Skilled birth attendants safely conducted 25 deliveries in Bama and 42 in Dikwa, bringing the total to 67 deliveries. In addition, 227 children were tested and referred for moderate and severe acute malnutrition (143 in Bama and 84 in Dikwa). To support safe childbirth, 67 delivery kits were distributed (25 in Bama and 42 in Dikwa).
Community Outreach and Healthcare Support: Mobile medical teams reached 1,579 individuals in camp and host communities (1,130 in Bama and 449 in Dikwa), ensuring that life-saving services were delivered where they were most needed. Additionally, facility-based healthcare support in IDP camps extended services to 638 individuals (435 in Bama and 203 in Dikwa).
Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE): RCCE efforts continued to focus on raising awareness of disease prevention, hygiene promotion, reproductive health, nutrition, and protection against gender-based violence and sexual exploitation. Health education and promotion sessions reached 1,025 individuals (726 in Bama and 299 in Dikwa). Under this approach, three motorized campaign sessions using jingles were conducted in each LGA, reinforcing previously addressed health topics. In addition, 296 persons with disabilities (266 in Bama and 30 in Dikwa) received essential healthcare services.
Nutritional Pap Support: During the week, 40 individuals (20 women and 20 children under five) were reached with health education on the importance of nutritional pap for the body. The session covered how to use locally available grains to prepare nutritious pap, with a step-by-step demonstration that allowed women to take ownership of the process. The prepared pap was cooked and served to children identified as MAM/SAM, while the remaining powder was shared with the women for continued use at home.
Hygiene and Malaria Prevention: AHI distributed 199 hygiene kits (64 in Bama and 135 in Dikwa) and provided 760 long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets (460 in Bama and 300 in Dikwa) to pregnant and lactating women as well as children under five.
Impact Highlights
Success Story
How Free Healthcare is Changing Lives in Bama IDP Camp: Zara’s Story
Zara Ali, a 30-year-old mother of four and once a resident of Ajiri ward in Bama LGA, now calls the Bulama Karama axis of the GDSS IDP Camp her home. In 2016, insurgents devastated Bama, forcing Zara and her family to flee for their lives. During their harrowing journey to Maiduguri, they were abducted, and Zara spent nearly six years in captivity.
“Since we got rescued and resettled back in the GDSS IDP Camp, life has never been the same. I was lucky to reunite with my husband and our three children, but every day has been a struggle to survive,” Zara reflects.
One of the most transformative changes in Zara’s life has been the introduction of free, quality healthcare. For years, Zara and her children faced the constant threat of illness and lacked access to proper medical care. Thanks to Action Health Incorporated (AHI) and the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund (NHF), the supported GDSS IDP camp health facility now serves the vulnerable individuals within the camp and beyond, delivering life-saving services that are changing lives.
“Every time we feel unwell, we visit the AHI-supported health facility. The care and compassion we receive there mean the world to us,” Zara explains. “I’ve received free drugs and, most importantly, a mosquito net that protects us from malaria. It may seem simple, but is a huge difference from me and my family.”
Beyond immediate treatments, the health initiative offers community education on disease prevention and healthy practices. These awareness programs empower vulnerable individuals with life-saving information, equipping them with the knowledge to safeguard their well-being and rebuild their lives with dignity.
“We are not just accessing free healthcare services with this intervention; we are learning how to protect ourselves and our children from illnesses,” Zara adds.
Today, Zara’s story stands as a powerful testament to her resilience and the transformative impact of free healthcare. With every consultation and every piece of life-saving equipment distributed, the people of the Bama IDP Camp are reclaiming their lives from the shadows of conflict.
“I believe that tomorrow can be better for us, even as there are still challenges, we are facing here at the camp.” Zara asserts. “Thanks to AHI and NHF, my family and I now have a chance at a healthier, happier life. Please extend this support for as long as possible!” Zara adds, with a hopeful smile.
Today, AHI’s dedicated efforts in Bama LGA, have not only restored vital health services but have also ignited a spirit of empowerment with vital information, and optimism in the community, all thanks to NHF for the vital support.
Zara Ali smiles as she holds her child and the LLIN mosquito net she received after accessing essential healthcare services at the GDSS IDP Camp health facility in Bama, supported by Action Health Incorporated (AHI).
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