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You're watching UNICEF Television.

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Every Saturday, five-year-old Asiya helps her mother with household chores.

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After sweeping floors and washing clothes,

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she leaves home to attend Quranic school in her neighborhood.

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In spite of her tender age, Asiya is expected to learn the Quran by heart,

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a religious tradition observed by many Muslim communities in northern Nigeria.

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Today, her long hours of recitation are interrupted by a team of vaccinators

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who have come to immunize the children against polio and other preventable diseases.

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Just one year earlier, many Quranic schools would not allow the vaccinators

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to come and immunize the children.

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But this year, things have changed.

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In the past, we didn't have a clear understanding of these issues,

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but now we understand everything about it.

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As a result of the preaching given by our religious leaders,

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we know that immunization is good for our children, and we should cooperate.

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In 2006, Nigeria reported more than 1,000 polio cases,

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half of the global total.

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For the government and its partners like UNICEF,

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mobilizing traditional and religious leaders has been a key strategy

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in the campaign to eradicate polio.

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To build trust in immunization,

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community dialogues like these are held throughout the region,

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involving religious leaders, traditional leaders, and Quranic school teachers.

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With their influence, immunization has become more openly accepted in many communities.

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I allow my children to be immunized because it prevents them from getting killer diseases,

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such as measles, polio, and diphtheria.

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During this round of the polio immunization campaign in Kaduna State,

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Asia, along with 30,000 other Quranic school children, are immunized against polio.

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Across the region, a total of 14.5 million children are targeted

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against this deadly disease that does not discriminate.

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In Kaduna, northern Nigeria, this is Kunli reporting for UNICEF Television.

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UNITE. For Children.