Journalists sharpen knowledge on interpretation of Malaria Indicator Survey findings in Cameroon.

The press men and women were schooled during a three-day workshop organised from October 27 to 29 in Mbankomo, outskirts of Yaounde in the Centre Region. 

The capacity building workshop was organised jointly by the Ministry of Public Health through its malaria fighting arm known as National Malaria Control Programme, NMCP; the National Institute of Statistics, NIS; and the global advisory and technology services provider called ICF.

During the workshop, the Head of Demographic Statistics Division at NIS, Anaclet Desire Dzossa, said the essence of the workshop was to improve the awareness-raising amongst the population on malaria-related issues through the powerful influence of the media. 

“Journalists are important segment in the communicating of information either to the public or the decision-makers,” Dzossa said. 

Dzossa, who also doubles as Technical Coordinator for MIS 2022, further explained that journalists have better ways of relaying information and in simple language easily understood, compared to the technical jargons often used by the experts 

“So it was import for us to ensure that this important segment understands how the data were obtained, the methodology, the questions asked and the results obtained as well as how to interpret them in order to better communicate the outcomes of the survey to the public that are in need of the information,” Dzossa added. 

Going by the NIS official, if better communicated, the findings of the malaria survey will help public authorities to make the right decisions concerning the fight against the disease while the informed population will better understand the reality of the country concerning malaria and to adopt good behavioural patterns towards the fight against malaria. 

“Journalists are important elements for the relay of information in the language understood by the public,” Dzossa reiterated. 

The training of journalists was facilitated by ICF through the Demographic and Health Surveys, DHS Programme, a USAID-funded project that collects, analyzes & disseminates accurate & representative data on population, health & HIV through more than 300 surveys in over 90 countries.

The DHS Programme Communications Manager, Sabina Behague, stated that: “We supported the new Malaria Indicator Study that was just published in Cameroon for 2022. It is important for journalist to understand how to read and understand the data that featured in the report so that they can report accurately on the results to the public”.

Officials, facilitator, participants in group photo

Facilitator expresses satisfaction

The workshop facilitator expressed conviction that the lessons acquired will impact the participants as they exercise the duty of their profession. 

“The journalists whom I worked with were very engaged and interested in proving their ability to interpret the data,” she noted. 

For three days, the journalists performed hands-on exercises on maths and statistics, and finding the data story behind the number indicators of the survey. 

“The numbers don’t tell a story but the journalists can interpret the numbers to tell an important story for the public,” she added.  

At the end of the training, the journalists on their part, pledged to apply the lessons acquired during the training to better inform and educate the population to adopt behavioural change in line with the global fight against malaria as well as to inform policy-makers to take informed decisions for the interest of the general good. 

The workshop, it should be noted, is part of a strategic plan to vulgarise the results of the malaria survey and it comes after the official launch of 2022 Cameroon MIS findings on October 26. The findings were launched by the Minister of Public Health, Dr Manaouda Malachie in Yaounde. 

It is worth noting that the 2022 Cameroon MIS was implemented from August 22 to December 1, 2022, by NIS in close cooperation with the NMCP. 

The 2022 CMIS also benefited financial support from the government of Cameroon; the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, through the US President's Malaria Initiative, PMI; and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Global Fund. 

Meanwhile, ICF provided technical assistance through the DHS Program, a USAID-funded project providing support and technical assistance in the implementation of population and health surveys in countries worldwide.