Position: Family Planning Program Specialist
Organization: Health Communication Capacity Collaborative
Current Location: Nigeria
M.ED in View from Adult Education/Social Works
Additional Degrees and Certifications:
B.A.ED, Education
• John Hopkins Center for Communication Programs: Leadership in strategic health communication
• Society for Family Health Learning Institute: Fundamentals of management 1
• Society for Family Health Women’s Health Project: Training on Education through learning (ETL)
• C-Change: Short course on behavior Change communication
• Society for Family Health: Inter Personal Communication Training
• Society for Family Health: HIV and AIDS Counseling and Testing Training
• Society for Family Health: Training on Edutainment approach (Community Drama) for Health Communication particularly focused on HIV/AIDS:
• Society for Family Health: Supporting more efficient and effective HIV prevention efforts in Nigeria:
• Options Consultancy UK/ENR: Budget Analysis Validation workshop
• AIESEC International Ghana: African Leadership Seminar, Ghana:
• AIESEC International Turkey: IMEX/MPI Future Leader Forum/YouCan Leadership Congress Bursa, Turkey
Awards Received:
Award:
Best External Relations
Awarding Organization:
AIESEC International University of Jos
Date Awarded:
December 12, 2008
Award:
Most Hardworking AIESECER
Awarding Organization:
AIESEC International University of Jos
Date Awarded:
December 12, 2007
Award:
Most Corporate Developer
Awarding Organization:
AIESEC International University of Jos
Date Awarded:
December 12, 2006
Chizoba Onyechi is a specialist in behavior change communication with advanced skills in implementing community-level communication interventions, where she has demonstrated outstanding results reaching remote populations with voluntary family planning (FP) information and services. She is adept at community-level advocacy, facilitating community dialogues and creating demand for uptake of comprehensive reproductive health services. Chizoba brings to bear a mix of private- and public-sector programming experience, having worked in one of the first indigenous NGOs in Nigeria and with several government agencies. She built the capacity of the Interpersonal Communication Conductors (IPCCs) on family planning, which contributed to increased knowledge and awareness of the benefits of family planning and availability of services in urban and rural areas of intervention. She contributed towards strengthening the capacity of FP service providers working in private and public health facilities on the Balanced Counseling Strategy, while strengthening the monitoring and reporting system. Her innovative community outreach advocacy has continued to increase the number of men who accompany their spouses to health facilities to access FP services. Chizoba received her first degree in education from the University of Jos Nigeria and an MEd in Adult Education/Social Work from University of Calabar, Nigeria. She has many awards to her credit, including the prestigious AIESEC International Award for Best External Relations and Most Corporate Developer, respectively, from the University of Jos Chapter. She is an alumnus of Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Program’s (CCP) Leadership in Strategic Health Communication (LSHC) training program.
“Chizoba Onyechi has an outstanding record in Community level intervention especially in Cross River State Nigeria where she contributed to the increase and acceptance of family planning at the community level through demand generation and Advocacy.
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– Nominator
Describe your contributions to and achievements in family planning.
I built the capacity of the Interpersonal Communication Conductors (IPCCs) on FP which contributed to increased knowledge and awareness of FP benefits and services in urban and rural areas of intervention States. This led to the increase of new users on LARC from 46,094 to 49,633 between 2015 to 2016. I contributed towards strengthening the capacity of over 50 private and public facility FP service providers on the Balanced Counseling Strategy (BCS) while strengthening the monitoring and reporting system. This has resulted in 84% increase in reporting rate and 72%% Service uptake. I carried out FP intervention targeted at community key influencers and male involvement through advocacy etc. Today, 76% of men in the LGA accompany their spouses to health facilities for uptake of FP method.
What sparked your passion for family planning?
Increased rate of maternal mortality. During my work, I encountered over 56 young pregnant women below 20 years of age who only depended on quacks who used unorthodox interventions for abortion of unintended pregnancies and over 1000 women who depended on traditional birth attendants or churches assistance for delivery. It was obvious that there were barriers that hindered them and I knew that these women needed timely and accurate information on FP and support to make the right decision.
Give one or two examples of how you display leadership in your family planning work.:
To ensure increase demand for FP commodities, I provided supportive supervision, mentoring and coaching to the Interpersonal Communication Conductors who reached thousands of men and women of reproductive age with FP messages through one-one-one discussions. I led the advocacies to the religious and traditional leaders, and other stakeholders at community and state level to advocate for interventions that will break down barriers to accessing FP services and create an enabling environment.
If you are named a winner of 120 under 40, how will you use this new platform and the $1000 grant to advance your work?
I will use the grant to build sustainable capacity for influencing positive community behaviors towards FP by increasing access to voluntary FP information and services to adolescents through community level forum discussions,Youth friendly RSH services centers and peer-to-peer education. Also advocate for FP as a core mandate the religious and traditional leaders. I will work to establish a sustainable system of training,sensitization and orientation of religious and traditional leaders.
Photos of the nominee in the field/at work
https://www.popcouncil.org/uploads/pdfs/2014HIV_ENR-BookOfAbstracts.pdf
