Alaafia Kwara
Initiative
Alaafia is a state of peace, wellbeing and harmony.
We at Alaafia Kwara Initiative are Committed to Caring,
Nurture & Nourish Community Development
to Transform & Thrive
About Alaafia Kwara
Alaafia Kwara – A Wellbeing Foundation Africa Initiative established to promote and positively impact the health and wellbeing of women and children, families and communities in Kwara State.
The Alaafia Kwara Initiative was established by Her Excellency Toyin Ojora Saraki in 2004, as First Lady of Kwara State 2003 – 2011, to engender and empower key strategies and solutions towards achieving progress in the key measurable indices set out by the 2015 Millennium Development Goals.
Our program interventions and initiatives continue to be guided by the targets of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
Our Flagship Intervention
The Personal Health Record
The Personal Health Record transforms the life chances of every mother and child by making verifiable data on the health and
welfare of the pregnant mother and her baby up until age five. It is a vital tool to empower mothers, educate carers and enable
professionals to provide the best possible care for babies and children.
Based on WHO guidance and best practice from around the world, the PHR records ante and post natal details
of the mother and charts to growth and development of the child. It also provides vital guidance on preventing and treating
malaria, HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening illnesses and promotes and records vaccinations.
The Personal Health Record captures the baseline medical history of the mother including details of prior
pregnancies and any previous stillbirths, neonatal or child deaths.
Stories from the frontline
Improving health and wellbeing within Kwara State
Strengthening Partnerships for Girls’ Empowerment: WBFA’s Advocacy Visit to Kwara AGILE Office
On Wednesday, 20th August 2025, the Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA) Kwara Programs Unit paid an advocacy visit to the Kwara AGILE (Adolescent Girls Initiative for
Empowering Youth for Lasting Change: WBFA Hosts DHQ Ambassador Induction Workshop in Kwara
On July 1st, 2025, the Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA) successfully hosted the Dettol Hygiene Quest (DHQ) Ambassador Induction Workshop for schools in Offa and Oyun
Honoring The Grand Khadi of Kwara State; Honourable Justice Abdul-Lateef Kamaldeen Al-Adaby at the 10th Edition of the Maslaha Journal Public Presentation & 2nd Scholars’ Debate at the University of Ilorin
On July 7th, 2025, the Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA), represented by its National Programs Lead, Mr. Kehinde Akinsola, on behalf of Her Excellency Mrs. Toyin
Wellbeing: A contented state of being happy, healthy and prosperous.
Instagram Feed
Poor hygiene remains a significant contributor to illness, especially in underserved communities where access to clean water and sanitation is limited ultimately impacting nutritional health. Through our WBFA - @DettolNigeria Hygiene Quest sessions, our Nurse Educators integrate #WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) education with nutritional awareness to drive lasting change.
The transmission of pathogens through unwashed hands, contaminated food, and unsafe water sources often results in recurrent diarrheal and intestinal infections. These conditions impair the body’s ability to absorb essential nutrients, even when dietary intake is sufficient. This link between hygiene and malnutrition underscores the importance of preventive health education.
Our Nurse Educators deliver structured, evidence-based hygiene sessions that connect #WASH practices with improved nutritional outcomes. Through practical demonstrations and community-led discussions, we are fostering behavior change and encouraging health-seeking actions that reduce infection risk.
By strengthening WASH education at the grassroots level, we are reinforcing the foundation for improved nutrition and long-term health.
#WashWednesday #HygieneQuest #WBFA
Every pair of clean hands holds the power to prevent disease and save lives, this is the message our Nurse Educators are passing across to students in our hygiene quest sessions. Through the WBFA- @DettolNigeria Hygiene Quest sessions our nurse educators not only teach the @WHO recommended handwashing techniques which bring the learning experience to life in ways that are exciting, practical, and unforgettable.
At each session, students are guided through the proper 20-second handwashing routine using soap and clean water. They’re taught specially crafted songs that match the 20-second duration, turning hygiene education into an engaging and joyful experience. These catchy tunes help students understand and remember each step, ensuring they not only know what to do but also enjoy doing it. This creative approach helps embed proper hygiene practices into their daily routines, forming habits that will protect them and their families.
#Teenagetuesday #Hygienequest
Every newborn deserves a safe, healthy, and thriving start in life and that journey is aided when breastfeeding is done rightly.
At the Wellbeing Foundation Africa, our Mamacare360 program remains committed to equipping mothers with the knowledge and skills to breastfeed effectively, promoting both infant and maternal well-being.
During a recent Mamacare session, our midwife emphasized the importance of establishing a proper latch ensuring the baby’s mouth covers the areola rather than just the nipple. This technique encourages optimal milk transfer, prevents complications such as sore nipples, and supports healthy weight gain in infants. Mothers were also advised to breastfeed exclusively for the first six months, as breast milk provides all the essential nutrients and immune protection a baby needs for a strong, healthy start.
The session also addressed the significance of proper positioning. A relaxed and supported posture, with the baby held close and facing the mother’s body, not only aids effective feeding but also enhances maternal comfort. Our midwife further encouraged mothers to feed based on their baby’s hunger cues rather than a fixed schedule ensuring demand-led feeding that strengthens the mother-child bond and sustains milk production.
Through evidence-based education and compassionate support, we continue to advocate for informed, empowered motherhood.
#MaternalMonday #WBW #Mamacare360
Today in Abuja, the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) and the Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA), with the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN), proudly convened a dissemination meeting to mark the successful conclusion of the costed extension phase of the Global Health Workforce Programme (GHWP) Local Grant 130: Advanced Emergency Obstetric, Newborn Care and Surgical Skill Competency-Based Curriculum for resident doctors in obstetrics and gynecology.
This high-level meeting provided a platform to share the programme’s impact and achievements, exchange lessons, and chart a course for the sustained national scale-up of the Advanced Obstetrics and Surgical Skills (AOSS) course.
Following a successful initial phase, a costed extension was granted, further broadening its reach with training programmes in Gombe and Port Harcourt, achieving nationwide coverage across all six geopolitical zones in Nigeria.
The dissemination event showcased the programme’s impact in strengthening the capacity of Nigeria’s health workforce through the AOSS competency-based curriculum. Over the course of the programme, a total of 266 health professionals were trained in AOSS. These included 85 consultant obstetricians, 168 senior registrars, 9 registrars, and 4 medical officers. Among them, 82 were NPMCN faculty examiners and 184 were resident doctors ensuring both clinical expertise and academic mentorship capacity. This phase also included the strategic donation of state-of-the-art Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) equipment to NPMCN.
In attendance were Her excellency @toyinsaraki, representatives from Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative #MAMII, the FCT Mandate Secretary for Health and Environmental Services, @officialfcta National Primary Health Care Development Agency @nphcda, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare @fmoh_nigeria, and the programme’s in-country grant manager, Ducit Blue Solutions @ducitbluesolutions
This week, the Wellbeing Foundation Africa was proud to join national and subnational health leaders, SWAp teams, development partners, and civil society actors for the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative #MAMII Implementation Design Workshop, held in Ilorin, Kwara State, from 28 July to 1 August 2025.
MAMII represents a vital opportunity to translate national ambition into subnational action across Nigeria’s 172 highest-burden local government areas, where over half of all maternal and neonatal deaths occur. As a Foundation rooted in frontline service delivery and systems advocacy, we were honoured to contribute as a trusted technical partner within the Facility and Service Readiness Cluster. Our focal state implementation team brought forward practical, people-centred recommendations informed by our programming, and our Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care #EmONC initiatives for healthcare workers.
The workshop was guided by MAMII’s six-pillar framework, spanning community engagement, equitable access, facility readiness, data governance, digital innovation, and coordination through the Sector-Wide Approach. Under the leadership of Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate @fmoh_nigeria , the SWAp model is bringing together government, partners, and private actors into one shared, strategic delivery platform for health reform.
At WBFA, we deeply believe that reducing maternal and newborn mortality is not only a national priority, it is a collective responsibility. Through our bilateral engagements during the workshop, including strategic discussions with Dr. Dayo Adeyanju, National Coordinator, MAMII, we affirmed our commitment to supporting implementation across focal states through aligned, rights-based, and community-led programmes, as we work towards a future where every woman survives childbirth, every newborn has a fair start, and no one is left behind.
#WellbeingForAll
#FrontlineFriday
As World Breastfeeding Week 2025 begins from the 1st to the 7th of August, we join the global community in under the theme: “Prioritise Breastfeeding; Create Sustainable Support Systems.” This theme calls attention to the urgent need to ensure that every mother is equipped with the right knowledge, resources, and enabling environments to breastfeed for as long as she chooses. Breastfeeding is a shared responsibility that requires investment in skilled support and protective policies and the creation of systems within homes, healthcare facilities, and workplaces that empower women and promote child health.
At the Wellbeing Foundation Africa, we understand that sustaining breastfeeding practices begins with skilled counselling, trusted information, and consistent community-based education. Through our #MamaCare360 antenatal and postnatal education programme, delivered in 1,463 healthcare facilities across Nigeria, we have directly supported over 1.22 million mothers and equipped more than 2,800 healthcare professionals with breastfeeding competencies aligned with WHO’s Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding. Our midwives provide mothers with expert guidance on exclusive breastfeeding, positioning and latching techniques, and sustaining optimal nutrition from the very first hour after birth.
Additionally, through the #MamaCareNICUPlus programme, we extend specialised lactation support to mothers of premature and low birthweight infants. We have supported 3,119 mothers in expressing over 1,375,582mls of breastmilk, while offering global best practices in colostrum feeding, buccal administration, and infection prevention in Neonatal Intensive Care Units. Our WBFA - @DettolNigeria Hygiene Quest programme, further safeguard newborn health by educating mothers on essential hygiene practices, including proper handwashing and breast hygiene Which are crucial components of safe breastfeeding that reduce the risk of infections and improve overall infant outcomes.
As we commemorate World Breastfeeding Week, we reaffirm our commitment to building sustainable support systems that protect, enable, and empower mothers.
#WBW #Worldbreastfeedingweek #Frontlinefriday
Breastfeeding is one of the most natural and effective ways to ensure a child’s optimal health and development from the very beginning of life which delivers lasting health benefits to both infants and mothers.
Through our Mamacare 360 NICUPLUS classes our skilled midwives consistently deliver evidence-based guidance to mothers on exclusive breastfeeding. These sessions are carefully structured to equip women with the knowledge and confidence they need to make informed decisions about their feeding choices. Through regular engagement, mothers are educated on how breast milk provides unparalleled nutrition tailored to the unique developmental needs of each baby. It is rich in antibodies that help build a newborn’s immune system, significantly reducing the risk of infections and diseases in early childhood.
As we approach World Breastfeeding Week, we reaffirm our commitment to promote and support breastfeeding through education, advocacy, and frontline care. By investing in informed motherhood, we are laying the foundation for a healthier future where every woman is supported in her decision to breastfeed and every child receives the nurturing care they deserve from the very first moment of life.
#Thrivethursday #NICUplus
Improving community health begins with empowering individuals with knowledge and hygiene education plays a critical role in this process. The WBFA - @dettolnigeria Hygiene Quest program delivers an engaging and practical platform to teach essential hygiene practices in communities. When individuals understand how germs spread and how simple behaviors like proper handwashing, safe waste disposal, and clean water use can prevent disease, they become agents of change in protecting their families and neighbors.
Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene #WASH knowledge is foundational for the prevention of common illnesses such as diarrhea, cholera, and respiratory infections. Communities equipped with this knowledge not only experience lower disease burdens but also build healthier habits that promote dignity, productivity, and well-being.
Through the Hygiene Quest Program, communities are empowered to move from awareness to sustained behavior change. They begin to see hygiene not just as a routine, but as a powerful tool for preventing outbreaks and safeguarding public health.
#Washwednesday #Hygienequest
Good health is the foundation for academic success and overall well-being, especially for children in school.
Through the WBFA - @dettolnigeria Hygiene Quest sessions, we ensure that children understand the importance of maintaining consistent hygiene practices not only in the classroom but also at home especially during the holiday period when routines may change.
Our sessions provide engaging, in-depth explanations to help children adopt simple, effective habits that protect them from infections and promote lifelong wellness.
#Teenagetuesday #Hygienequest
