Making Pictures Speak Louder than Voice: Efforts to Improve Child Survival through ‘Majigi’ in Jigawa State, Nigeria

Purpose: This pilot study assessed the role of the motorcycle cinema (Majigi) scheme in empowering local community members with life-saving education to ultimately improve their well-being and survival. Methods: In December 2010, a total of 561 parents with children under 5 years viewed a polio routine immunization (RI) sensitization video across eight communities in Hadejia Local Government Area. The ‘pre-’ and ‘post-video-exposure’ periods were defined as the period before and after the viewers were shown the video, respectively. Pre- and post-assessment interviews were conducted using a structured questionnaire administered to 96 randomly selected viewers. Results: Half of the respondents during the pre-video-exposure period gave correct polio decision-making knowledge and this increased significantly to 89% during the post-innovation period. About 68% had positive attitudes towards their responsibility for ending polio during the pre-assessment and increased significantly to 89% during the post-assessment. Pre-video-exposure knowledge of the RI schedule averaged 56% and increased to 88%. Conclusion: Large and multi-focal approaches to address health system challenges are critical in northern Nigeria. We hope that these findings will further encourage program planners and policy makers in northern Nigeria and similar settings in identifying and utilizing novel methods to reach the poor and disadvantaged areas in the quest to meet the Millennium Development Goals related to maternal and child health by 2015.