Posted on: Sat 30-08-2014

Ministry of women affairs and social development in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) yesterday unveiled a national service standard for improving the lives of orphans and vulnerable children in the country.

Speaking during the official handover of the document from USAID to the federal government in Abuja, USAID Nigeria director HIV/ AIDS, Dr. Susan Coleman, said it will help the government and service providers in providing quality services for orphans and vulnerable children in Nigeria, including those that have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS and their families. 
Chief of Party of Nigeria USAID (ASSIST) programme, Dr. Josephine Ogazi, who provided technical assistance in developing the document titled ‘National standards for improving quality life of children in Nigeria,’ said they used improvement science and evidence based practices.
She said they employed institutionalising improvement science with working with orphans and vulnerable children among others.
Unveiling the document, minister of women affairs and social development, Hajiya Zainab Maina, said the USAID ASSIST project has helped in creating high level awareness of community ownership of vulnerable children programmes in the selected states where the ‘National standards for Improving quality life of children in Nigeria’ were pre-tested.
Represented by the ministry’s permanent secretary, Hajiya Habiba Muda Lawal, she said with the document, Nigeria has joined the league of African countries like Ethopia, Kenya and Tanzania, which have national standards on improving quality life for vulnerable children, adding that the document will not only help government but also all stakeholders that implement programmes and vulnerable children in the country.

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