Togolese Red Cross preparing for malaria bed net distributions
Written by Canadian Red Cross aid worker France Hurtubise
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It is six in the morning and the day is barely starting. We are headed for Atakpame located in the magnificent Plateaux region, three hours north of Lomé, the capital of Togo.
As we approach the location, a large building perched on a small hill shows a large and easily recognizable red cross. In this peaceful environment, seventeen people are receiving training. They are attending a five-day session for the supervisors of the community health agents involved in the national integrated health campaign happening in December. This campaign will include the distribution of 843,700 insecticide treated bed nets provided by the Canadian Red Cross.
This is the second training session, the first having been held in October at Sokodé in the Central region. At the end of this session, a total of 32 people will have been trained. Throughout the week, participants will acquire basic knowledge on health, malaria, the importance of social mobilization, and child protection.
The Canadian Red Cross and its national and international partners are highly engaged in the fight against malaria. With their support, the Togolese Red Cross and the Ministry of Health of Togo will mobilize the community in a major national integrated campaign that will include vitamin A supplements, parasite control using albendazole, and the distribution of long-lasting insecticide-treated nets for children. The campaign targets children from zero to 59 months and will take place from December 9th to 12th, 2008.
Dr Battah, Director of the Togolese Red Cross Health department, is happy with the outcome of the training. “We have very qualified people; each one has had previous experience either with the Red Cross or with the Ministry of Health and some were involved in the 2004 campaign. The results from the final evaluation confirm the skills of the group.”
Dr Battah believes that those supervisors are the key to the success of the campaign, as they will in turn train volunteers. In all, 158 sessions will be given from November 17 to 29.
This represents the next step of the campaign. A total of 3,792 well-trained Togolese Red Cross volunteers from the Plateaux and Central regions will be mobilized in their own grassroots community to reverse the deathly burden of malaria. The volunteers will make door-to-door house visits before, during and after the campaign to make sure mothers and their children are aware of the campaign and are properly using their mosquito nets.
An intensification of the knowledge and the skills of these volunteers is essential. Malaria kills one child every 30 seconds in Africa. It is only through ongoing social mobilization that this sad statement will prove wrong. Sleeping under a mosquito net treated with insecticide provides protection from malaria-carrying mosquitoes.
Visit http://www.malariabites.net/ to learn more or to make a donation to help prevent malaria in Africa.
