By Foday Moriba Conteh
In a bid to promote behavior change targeting women of child bearing age and men in communities within the Western Area Urban and Rural Districts in the country, one of the vibrant Non-Governmental Organizations that is currently operating in the country, the Advocacy Movement Network (AMNet) on Tuesday 15thMarch, 2022 commenced its field day event on malaria prevention and control within the two districts.
The field day event on malaria prevention and control is part of the organization’s implementation of the NFM 3 Projects that is funded by Global Fund through Catholic Services. During the implementation of the project, 1000 lactating and pregnant women with the Western Area and Rural benefited from the Advocacy Movement Network (AMNet) donation of Rubber Buckets and Bowls, Spoons, Cups, Plates & Soap.
The project is implemented in 9 Community Health Centres (CHU) which includes Tombo, Murray Town, Dwarzack, Rokupa, Wellington, Thompson Bay, Rokel, Kossoh Town, Waterloo 5/5 and Kissy Town within the Western Area Urban and Rural District. As of Tuesday 22nd March 2022 the Advocacy Movement Network (AMNet) had implemented the project in 7 Community Health Centres (CHU) with some remaining communities that will be targeted by the organization.
Speaking to this medium, Brima Conteh, the Program Manager for the NFM 3Project said that the project is funded by Global Fund through the Catholic Relief Services of which they entered into an agreement with the Advocacy Movement Network (AMNet), a local Non-Governmental Organization to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and for the implementation of a program entitled Strengthening Support to Communities towards Elimination of Malaria, TB and HIV/AIDS in Sierra Leone.
He added that the NFM3 project is a continuation of the NFM2 which has four components (Malaria, Tuberculosis, HIV and RSSH) and that the project primarily focuses on scaling up and continuing high impact interventions that were implemented in the NFM2 phase.
The Program Manager maintained that the project includes a strong focus on community level activities which demand creation for disease services through integrated Information, Education and Communication/Behavioral change communication (IEC/BCC) activities is one of it pillars, furthering that the project also includes the scaling up of a strong Community Based Monitoring (CBM) component.
“The selected communities-based monitors will perform an independent watchdog function of effective delivery of health services like (HIV, TB and malaria) at the health facilities and serve as linkages with their communities. This project also includes community based disease surveillance for malaria and TB,” he revealed.
He pointed out that as part of the implementation of the project AMNet organized a 5 day field day on malaria prevention of which the organization targeted 7 communities control within the Western Area Urban and Rural District in the country, stating that the field day activity targeted 1000 women of child bearing age and men at community level.
The Program Manager disclosed that the project is geared towards the promotion of behavior change targeting women of child bearing age and men at the community, which is to ensure women and men receive the required support for adequate action, efficiency for sustained behavior change for the time uptake of IPTp, IPTi with LLIN use within the community and household.
They concluded by stating that at the end of the project the organization aims at creating an enabling environment in the community for sustained behavior change on Malaria, Tuberculosis, HIV and RSSH.
Speaking on behalf of Community Health Centres (CHU) that benefitted, the State Enrolled Community Health Nurse at the Murray Town Community Health Centre , Nanah Panda commend the move by the Advocacy Movement Network (AMNet) towards the implementation of the NFM3 project which she described as a timely intervention towards raising awareness on Malaria, Tuberculosis, HIV and RSSH among lactating and pregnant women, community youths.
She maintained that the move by the organization will help towards motivating lactating and pregnant women to access their Community Health Centres (CHU) within their localities, adding that in most cases these women sometimes refuse to visit the Centres but with the awareness and donation made by the organization such will definitely serve as a motivation to them and even other women who have not been visiting their Community Health Centres (CHU) within their communities.
Isatu Sesay, one of the beneficiaries, also applauded the Advocacy Movement Network (AMNet) for the kind gesture, adding that during the sensitization process by the organization she has been schooled on the elimination of Malaria, TB etc. within their various communities.
She further assured all that as women they will ensure they put into practice what they have learnt in order to eliminate Malaria in their community.
