SQUEAC report, Goronyo LGA, Sokoto State,2015

Goronyo is one of the LGAs in Sokoto State that is integrating community-based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM) in the HFs. MSF-H started a nutrition intervention project managing malnutrition in Goronyo LGA in 2009. However, by March 2013 MSF-H transferred the program to SSPHCDA and the Goronyo LGA Primary Health Care Department. Presently the CMAM program is being implemented in five HFs1, with the support from UNICEF in terms of supply of RUTF and training of HWs.

A previous SQUEAC assessment in April 20142 reported a low a coverage estimate of 14.8% (9.5 22.4%; CI; 95%). This finding was consistent with a SLEAC assessment conducted earlier by Valid International VI in Goronyo in 20133. Most of the barriers identified during the stage 3 of the April 2014 SQUEAC, and the 2013 SLEAC were hinged on lack of awareness about the program. Incidentally, implementing NGOs opted for designing and conducting a pilot program on social communication and community mobilization around CMAM in Goronyo LGA to increase awareness about the program. Therefore, this present SQUEAC investigation is aimed at determining the present barriers and boosters to access, with a view to understand how the pilot social communication of CMAM had impacted on the barriers. Other objectives were to investigate the spatial pattern of coverage in Goronyo, determine the headline coverage estimate, build the capacity of FMoH, SMoH, and LGA staff, as well as suggest way forward to improve program access and coverage.

Quantitative data were sourced from the routine program data from January to December 2014, and beneficiary OTP card records from July 2014 to December 2014; these were extracted and analyzed. Four out of the existing five CMAM sites4 and 14 villages5 in Goronyo LGA were visited to collect additional qualitative information about the CMAM program from different sources and using different methods7. All the findings were triangulated by these various sources and methods and analyzed into negative factors (barriers) and positive factors (boosters) which affect program coverage.