Toivo Family and Community Initiative is an independent Nigerian research and policy organisation. We study how policy, institutions and community action shape family wellbeing, and translate that evidence into practical, evidence-informed programmes. Our current strategic priority is establishing parental preparedness before childbirth as a recognised national development priority, led by ANC Plus, our flagship programme model.
Toivo Family and Community Initiative is an independent Nigerian organisation dedicated to strengthening families and communities through research, policy engagement and evidence-informed programmes. Our work explores how public policy, institutions and community action influence family wellbeing. We believe stronger families contribute to stronger societies, and that better evidence leads to better decisions.
Toivo currently operates as a research and policy organisation, producing published research and policy analysis while developing its first practical programme, ANC Plus, for future delivery in partnership with existing primary healthcare systems.
Vision. A society where families are supported by effective policies, strong institutions and thriving communities.
Mission. To strengthen families and communities through research, evidence-informed programmes, policy engagement and practical resources that improve decision-making and promote long-term social wellbeing.
Nigeria's maternal and child health indicators point to a gap that policy has only begun to address: the preparation, knowledge and support families receive before and around childbirth.
Nigeria accounts for nearly 29% of all global maternal deaths. This brief argues that survival is the floor, not the ceiling, and sets out six evidence-based policy options for holistic parenting preparation.
Read →Nigeria’s emerging care-economy agenda raises a question its own framing does not yet answer: if care is essential to the functioning of society, who is expected to bear its cost?
Read →Family policy explained from first principles: what it covers, how explicit and implicit family policy differ, and what it means in the Nigerian context specifically.
Read →ANC Plus is Toivo’s flagship programme model: a structured parenting preparation curriculum designed for delivery within routine antenatal care contacts, through Community Health Extension Workers at primary healthcare centres. It requires no new staff, infrastructure, or additional visits, working through the primary healthcare system that already exists.
ANC Plus is currently a programme model in development. It has not yet been piloted or delivered.
About ANC Plus →ANC Plus is one practical application of Toivo’s broader research on parental preparedness. It sits alongside other workstreams, including Toivo’s policy analysis on paternity leave and family law, as part of a wider institutional mission.
One-time and monthly giving options help fund Toivo’s research, publications and the development of ANC Plus.
Donate →Toivo welcomes partnership with institutions working in maternal and child health, family policy and community development.
Partner With Us →Our policy briefs, commentaries and explainers set out the evidence base behind Toivo’s work.
Explore Research →