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What role do leaders like yourself play in strengthening routine immunization?‍

‍HH Muhammad Isa Umar: May our ancestors rest in peace. The contributions of traditional leaders to immunization did not begin today. Our forefathers laid the foundation from the time of the colonial administration, working hard to encourage people to seek hospital care and immunize their children.

In those days, some of these elders faced resistance, yet they continued their advocacy for child immunization and maternal care. Over time, it became a routine duty for village heads, district heads, and emirs to urge their people to vaccinate their children. In the past, there were even penalties for refusal, because diseases could easily spread from one person to another.

By God’s grace, awareness has grown, and our people are now cooperating fully. For this, we remain grateful to the leaders who worked tirelessly to achieve it. May God reward them.

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What improvements in immunization uptake has the All Babies program brought to your communities?‍

HH Muhammad Isa Umar: By God’s grace, we are seeing progress. We have directed community leaders to raise awareness everywhere, especially on routine immunization. This has resulted in wide acceptance. Caregivers are bringing their children as instructed.

We appreciate All Babies Are Equal for providing transport fare to caregivers. This incentive has encouraged many to come out in large numbers. The organization has done the right thing and greatly supported the government in this effort. We are truly grateful and pray for continued success. As representatives of this organization, you have done wonderfully, and our leaders have also played their part. May God reward everyone involved.

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‍Going forward, how would you encourage more participation in Rano?‍

Emir Muhammad Isa Umar: We have been encouraged to keep sensitizing our people and supporting the work of both the government and partner organizations. The government has fulfilled its role, and you, as an organization, have also done the right thing. The community has responded positively, and we will continue to urge them to maintain their support.

Our goal is to achieve peace and improved health for our sons and daughters. We thank you, and we thank the government for collaborating with you to ensure the success of these shared goals.