Programs & Interventions.
From maternal health to school feeding, our programs tackle the interconnected challenges facing Nigeria’s most vulnerable communities.
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH
In Nigeria, 54,000 women and girls die each year due to pregnancy-related complications. According to UNICEF, Nigeria loses approximately 2,300 children under the age of five and 145 women of childbearing age daily. With rural and peri-urban areas accounting for over 70% of these deaths, Nigeria is the second-largest contributor to maternal and child mortality worldwide. Contributing factors include illiteracy, malnutrition, poor hygiene, inadequate access to quality health facilities, poor family planning, and childhood diseases such as malaria, cholera, and diarrhea.
Our Interventions
- Ensuring easy access to the nearest health center
- Procuring and providing lifesaving hospital equipment
- Training Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) on best practices to deliver quality healthcare services to pregnant women.
- Ensuring emotional and nutritional support for the mother.
- Implementing numerous PMTCT projects focused on reducing mother-to-newborn HIV transmission rates
- Creating technology-based linkage systems between health workers and pregnant women in rural areas
- Increasing awareness among policy decision-makers about affordable, feasible, and scalable primary healthcare interventions
Program Highlight: Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT)
Our “One Test Saves Two Lives” campaign targets women of reproductive age, particularly pregnant women in remote communities, with the goal of reducing newborn HIV infections from mother-to-child transmission. This comprehensive campaign includes educating women and their partners, building the capacity of traditional birth attendants on the necessity of HIV testing during pregnancy, and ensuring proper management of HIV-positive pregnant women.
Outcomes
Over 800 pregnant women have been counseled and tested during antenatal visits at hospitals and within communities. Seventy-six women who tested positive were enrolled in our comprehensive PMTCT program, receiving nutrition support, home-based care, and access to treatment. This holistic approach enables us to:
- Monitor the nutritional status of pregnant wpmen, mothers and children
- Provide ongoing counseling and education on nutrition
- Support mothers with infant feeding choices
- Ensure complete infant immunization
- Offer HIV testing for infants at 8 weeks old
- Link women with additional support interventions, including empowerment programs
WATER, SANITATION, AND HYGIENE (WASH)
Majority of women and girls in Sub-Saharan Africa lack access to menstrual hygiene knowledge and services, including lack of handwashing facilities. Diseases caused by poor water, sanitation, and hygiene lead to malnutrition, stunting, and child mortality, with nearly 600,000 children under five losing their lives annually to preventable conditions (UNICEF). The dignity and personal safety of women, girls, and vulnerable populations remain at risk, while the psychosocial stress affecting women and girls is significant.
Our Interventions
- Delivering evidence-based, cost-effective interventions for prevention and treatment of malnutrition among mothers, newborns, and children
- Implementing community-based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM), vitamin A supplementation, iron-folic acid supplements, and deworming in vulnerable communities
- Promoting nutrition counseling throughout pregnancy, particularly exclusive breastfeeding, and improving infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices
- Feeding at least 10,000 children through private sector support, with hospital referrals for children identified with severe acute malnutrition
- Operating school feeding programs in underserved communities, feeding children at least twice weekly to overcome hunger and poverty barriers to education
MALARIA PREVENTION AND CONTROL
Malaria remains a major public health challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, with Nigeria bearing a disproportionately high share of the global malaria burden. In 2015, Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 88% of global malaria cases and 90% of malaria deaths. Nigeria alone accounts for approximately 25% of Africa’s malaria disease burden, with an estimated 11% of all child deaths worldwide occurring in Nigeria
Our Interventions
Since 2010, Biire has been working with different partners to develop malaria prevention, screening, and treatment strategies.
Biire’s actions:
- Promoting health care strengthening for better care
- Conducting health outreaches in remote areas
- Distributing insecticide treated nets to the vulnerable groups (pregnant women)
- Providing rapid tests for early diagnosis, medicines and equipment
What we do to fight malaria
1. Prevention and screening
- Seasonal chemoprophylaxis: administering preventive medications to children at risk
- Support for immunization campaigns
- Distribution of impregnated mosquito nets to limit transmission
- Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) to quickly identify cases
2. Malaria treatment
- Support for hospitals and health centers (medicines, equipment)
- Effective antimalarial administration, as soon as diagnosis is confirmed
- Management of severe cases with hospitalization and reinforced follow-up
- Epidemiological surveillance to predict epidemics
NUTRITION SECURITY
Million children under five die every year in Nigeria, with 35% of deaths attributed to malnutrition. This makes Nigeria one of six countries accounting for half of all child deaths from malnutrition worldwide. In northern Nigeria, half of all children under five are stunted, and one in five suffers from acute malnutrition. According to UNICEF (June 2024), approximately 11 million Nigerian children experience severe child food poverty. Nigeria ranks among the 20 countries accounting for 65% of children globally facing severe child food poverty, with a national stunting prevalence rate of 32% among children under five, the second-highest burden worldwide.
Rising fuel costs have contributed to increased transportation expenses and food prices, placing nutritious meals beyond the reach of many Nigerian households. According to the United Nations, children require adequate nutrition at critical developmental stages to reach their full potential. Insufficient access to essential nutrients, including energy, protein, and vital vitamins and minerals, results in malnutrition with severe long-term consequences.
Our Response
The Biire Foundation’s approach to malnutrition is comprehensive and multifaceted. We work closely with and around the community health ecosystem and maternity and healthcare workers to identify early signs of malnutrition and refer cases to healthcare centers for facility-based treatment. We provide follow-up home-based continuum care and nutrition support for less severe cases, while educating beneficiaries on local sourcing and preparation of rich, nutritious foods.
We provide nutritional support for women living with HIV and caring for infants through food provisions, cooking oil, and supplements. Nutritionists assist these women in food preparation using locally available ingredients that strengthen the immune system. With partner support, we identify communities with high malnutrition rates and implement targeted nutrition intervention programs.
Our Interventions
- Delivering evidence-based, cost-effective interventions for prevention and treatment of malnutrition among mothers, newborns, and children
- Implementing community-based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM), vitamin A supplementation, iron-folic acid supplements, and deworming in vulnerable communities
- Promoting nutrition counseling throughout pregnancy, particularly exclusive breastfeeding, and improving infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices
- Feeding at least 10,000 children through private sector support, with hospital referrals for children identified with severe acute malnutrition
- Operating school feeding programs in underserved communities, feeding children at least twice weekly to over come hunger and poverty barriers to education
SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAM
Launched in 2010, Biire’s school and community feeding program provides nutritious meals to schools and communities in hard-to-reach areas, directly addressing food insecurity and malnutrition. This initiative enhances food security and reduces hunger in alignment with UN Sustainable Development Goals on hunger, poverty, and malnutrition.
Program Objectives
Short-term objectives:
- Increase school enrollment, attendance, and retention
- Reduce short-term hunger and malnutrition amongst primary school children
- Boost domestic food production
Long-term objectives:
- Contribute to poverty reduction
- Improve food security
- Enhance overall household health
Evidence and Impact
Research demonstrates that properly designed school feeding programs effectively alleviate short-term hunger in malnourished children, thereby increasing attention span and concentration. Parents are motivated to enroll their children and ensure regular attendance, which reduces absenteeism and improves educational outcomes.
In partnership with Sahara Foundation (2011-2016), Biire implemented an impactful five-year project that provided nutritious meals three days per week to 960 children in the Federal Capital Territory (2 years) and over 2000 children in and around ibeju lekki Lagos (3 years).
Documented Results:
- School enrollment increased by an average of 30-50%
- Absenteeism reduced by 80%
- Malnourished children gained weight and demonstrated visible health improvements
- Improved examination results among pupils
- Positive impact on overall household health status
An Apple A Day Project.
Malnutrition remains a pressing crisis across many regions in Africa contributing to stunted, weakened immune systems and high child mortality rates. According to UNICEF, over 45 million children worldwide suffer from wasting (low weight for height) with a significant concerntration in sub- Saharan Africa. While long term solutions require systemic change- like agricultural reforms and poverty reduction, immediate nutritional interventions are critical to saving lives and on the long term improve the quality of lives.
To address the nutritional gap resulting from increasing poverty, we are launching the “AN APPLE A DAY” project. This is basically a fruit supply intervention that will provide malnourished children in hard-to-reach areas with daily nutritious fruits, particularly apples. Most of these children may have never seen an apple let alone eat them. We will identify school with high numbers of malnourished children and provide regular fruit supplies until we see our desired results. The ages that will be targeted are from ages 5-10 years old.
This initiative is a potential lifeline for children facing hunger and malnutrition. By delivering a regular dose of health and hope through a single apple this projects aims an outcome of improved weight, height and health report, improve school attendance as well as job creation, our over all aim is to nourish bodies, uplift communities and build a healthier future for the next Africa generation
Why Apples?
Apples are naturally sweet therefore they appeal to children. Apples are globally recognized for their abundance of nutrients and bioactive compounds. As the adage states, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Apples are rich sources of vitamins and fiber
NEW INITIATIVE.
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