Hope for Future Generations (HFFG) in partnership with the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), and the Health Directorate of Twifo Atti-Mokwa District in the Central region on March 17, 2023, organized a capacity strengthening workshop on malaria control and elimination for 30 Community-based Health Volunteers in the Twifo Atti-Mokwa District.
The volunteers were drawn from fifteen (15) malaria burdened communities in three sub-districts within the Twifo Atti-Mokwa District. The volunteers were equipped with relevant skills to enable them to carry out community-level Social Behavioural Change Communication (SBCC) activities on malaria prevention, control and elimination in the district. The empowered volunteers will engage pregnant women and the general population through house-to-house and public sensitization activities.
The National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) aims to reduce malaria mortality by 90%, reducing malaria incidence by 50% and achieving malaria Pre-elimination in at least 6 districts by 2025 using 2019 as baseline.
The Community-based Health Volunteers’ focus will be on the following intervention strategies; community mobilization for continuous distribution of Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs), Larval Source Management, rolling out guidelines for Malaria Vaccine, Intermittent Preventive Treatment (IPTp), Case management and Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS).
The Project Officer, Ms. Martha Hammond encouraged the volunteers to put in more effort in creating community awareness on the effects of malaria, and the key roles the community members can play in malaria prevention and control.
The Twifo Atti-Mokwa District Health Director, Mr. Samuel Kwabena Ofosu, in a statement delivered on his behalf, commended HFFG and the National Malaria Elimination Programme for the continuous partnership towards eliminating malaria in the district.
Some of the volunteers pledged their individual commitments towards the achieving goals and objectives of the project by working closely with all project stakeholders.
Mr Peter Yaw Arhin, a volunteer from the Twifo Nyinase-Kojokrom, said: “In fact, this capacity building training has given me a lot of information on how to mobilize my community members and how to conduct community level sensitization. I thank HFFG and partners for this opportunity. I promise to work extremely hard towards eliminating malaria in my community.”
With the successful conclusion of capacity building of volunteers, it is expected that the stated objectives of the intervention would be achieved in the stated timelines with positive behavioural changes outcomes.