NGO Trains Frontline Health Workers in Katsina

A non-governmental organisation, CARE Nigeria, has trained 500 frontline health workers across Katsina, Mani, and Charanchi Local Government Areas of Katsina State, equipping them with digital tools and improved skills to enhance healthcare delivery at the grassroots.

Speaking at the closing of the training, the Health Sector Lead at CARE Nigeria, Dr. Amina Abdullahi, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to advancing universal health coverage through women-centred and technology-driven health system strengthening.

“Frontline community health workers are the backbone of Nigeria’s primary health care system, especially in rural and underserved communities,” she said.

The initiative, implemented under the Enhancing Resilience in Frontline Community Health Workers (EnRiCH) Project, seeks to boost access to quality healthcare services and build the capacity of women-led health systems in rural and underserved communities.

According to Abdullahi, “This holistic approach ensures the workers are better equipped, more motivated, and deeply rooted in the communities they serve to ultimately driving better health outcomes for women, children, and families across Katsina State.

“Through EnRiCH, we are investing not only in their technical skills but also in their digital capacity, financial resilience, and agency as change agents. This is what it means to build resilience from the ground up, and we are proud to walk this journey with the government and our partners,” she added.

The nine-day capacity-building exercise, held in three batches per LGA, was designed to enhance knowledge and motivation among health workers for improved Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCAH+N) service delivery, with integrated Gender-Based Violence (GBV) prevention and response.

Each participant received a smartphone preloaded with the EnRiCH Digital Learning Platform (DLP); a mobile tool that promotes continuous learning, mentorship, and peer-to-peer collaboration.

Through the platform, health workers can access current guidelines, complete online modules, and update their knowledge in real time.

A Community Health Extension Worker from Charanchi LGA, Fatima Aminu Bello shared her impact report saying;

“Before this training, I relied on memories from school to attend to patients, now, with my smartphone and access to the Digital Learning Platform, I can learn every day, ask questions, and share experiences with colleagues. This will greatly help me reach more women, girls, and children in my community.”

The training also introduced the Frontline Health Workers Savings and Loans Association (FSLA) model to enhance financial literacy, collective savings, and economic empowerment among women health workers, fostering social solidarity and resilience.

The EnRiCH Project aligns with CARE Nigeria’s 2024–2030 Country Strategy, to empower 2,000 frontline health workers in Katsina State to reach over one million people with quality healthcare services.

Implemented in partnership with the Katsina State Ministry of Health, the State Primary Health Care Development Agency (SPHCA), and Life Helpers Initiative (LHI), the project reflects CARE’s mission to strengthen health systems, promote gender equality, and empower women as agents of change.

Since 2017, CARE has reached over 3.1 million people across nine states through innovative and inclusive programs to eradicate poverty through locally led, gender-responsive solutions.