By Jonathan Hindolo Kurabu (D-Catalyst)
On the 24th August 2020, BRAC Sierra Leone, in partnership with the Kenema District Health Management Team and the Kenema District COVID 19 Emergency Response Centre trained 50 Community Health Promoters on COVID 19 awareness.
50 participants drawn from Griema-Dama, Lower-Bambara, Small-Bo, Sembaru and Nongowa Chiefdoms in Kenema District benefited from the training which was held at the Multi-Purpose Hall of the Catholic Technical Vocational Institute in Kenema.
The purpose of the two days training, according to the Regional Health Coordinator of BRAC SL, Patrick Massaquoi, was to empower the participants to transmit correct information about the Corona virus and to be able to work with Community Health Workers in identifying sick patients, referrals and undertake contact tracing in their respective chiefdoms.
Umu Hawa Jalloh, the Kenema District Health Coordinator of BRAC SL, said the training is an ongoing effort to complement the efforts of Government in combating COVID 19 community transmission.
She furthered that prior to now, they have engaged Community stakeholders where the participants were identified adding that they should endeavour to position themselves to help in the fight against the deadly Corona virus in the country.
Umu Hawa Jalloh averred that the participants are expected to help in the distribution of face masks, hand wash stations, soap and to ensure the donated items are used for their intended purposes.
Social Mobilization Manager of the Kenema DICOVERC, Ansumana Benson Quee, said that apart from the global devastation by the Corona virus, it has also brought a new tradition which the world is grappling with.
He cautioned the participants to be consistent with their messaging adding that they should only adhere to existing messages from NACOVERC and DICOVERC.
One of the lead facilitators, Josephus Cambull, urged the participants to raise robust awareness on the use of facemasks, social distancing, hand washing and to report sick patients to the nearest Health Centres.
Four of the participants interviewed, Ibrahim Moiferay, Brima Abdulai, Mary Bikie and Rebecca Lahai promised to cascade knowledge gained to their respective chiefdoms
The training is part of ongoing activities under the Community Health Reach on COVID 19.
BRAC is a Non-Governmental Organization that was founded 49 years ago in Bangladesh and started operations in Sierra Leone in 2008. They have, over the past years, implemented a lot of programmes in many sectors ranging from Health, Emergency Response Preparedness, Youth Empowerment and Gender, Agricultural Projects and Microfinance, being the largest micro finance organization in Sierra Leone with over 69,000 beneficiaries.
