At pan-African confab in Yaounde: ISA spotlights project boosting community engagement in anti-malaria fight.

The EAP initiative was presented during the scientific conference organised by Pan-African Mosquitos Control Association, PAMCA, Cameroon Chapter. 

It was co-organised in partnership with AMMnet Cameroon chapter. The conference in Yaounde ran from September 24 to 25, 2024. 

The scientific conference was launched on behalf of the Minister of Public Health, by the Sub Director of Malaria and Neglected Tropical Disease, Dr Nko’Ayissi George.

The event was graced by the Executive Secretary of Organisation for Coordination in the Fight Against Endemic Diseases in Central Africa, OCEAC, Dr Khadidja Guirsimi. 

During the first day of the conference, several presentations were made. In her presentation, the Communication and Community Engagement Officer of EAP initiative, Mengue Erica, explained that the three-year initiative launched in November 2023, aims to increase the involvement of civil society and communities in the implementation of Cameroon’s National Malaria Control Strategic Plan, NMCP, at the national and community level, by demonstrating the change that civil society involvement can bring.
“It aims to invest in strengthening structures and relationships between civil societies, the NMCP and an increasingly broad and non-traditional group of malaria control partners, in order to address underlying issues and improve access to malaria control services for those who need them most,” Mengue told The Guardian Post.  

The EAP is being implemented in Mokolo and Maroua III Health Districts in the Far North Region; Doume Health District in the East Region and Mifi Health District in the West Region. 

Across the different health districts, the initiative is targeting socially vulnerable persons like Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, pregnant women, children under five years, refugees, physically challenged and orphans. 

“We are also working with CSOs, community leaders, elites, religious and traditional leaders,” she said

According to Mengue, the EAP initiative has three approaches notably coordination, advocacy, and communication and community engagement.

Road covered so far

The ISA staff, during her presentation, also outline some outstanding results of EAP achieved within the first six months of implementation.

She cited the completion of a Malaria Behaviour Survey, MBS, and the mapping of 160 community leaders with the involvement of over 50 leaders. 

She added that two training sessions have been organised for community leaders on gender, advocacy, community involvement and malaria as well as town halls advocacy meetings. 

The EAP initiative, she added, has also supported committed religious leaders to raise community awareness on malaria prevention during sermons.  

In addition, she said 37 educational talks have been organised with over 900 vulnerable people reached.

In order to boost the community engagement process, capacity building workshops, she detailed, have been organised for stakeholders such as local CSOs and leaders of associations of vulnerable populations during SBC activities.

It is worth noting that ISA is currently implementing the EAP initiative in collaboration with the Ministries of Public Health and Social Affairs as well as National Malaria Control Programme, NMCP. 

Going by the NMCP, 3,327,381 cases of malaria were reported in Cameroon in 2022, with 2,481 deaths. Access to prevention and treatment services remains limited by several factors, including the low level of involvement of beneficiaries and communities themselves in response strategies. 

As a result, Cameroon is amongst the 11 countries most affected by malaria but has a vision of ending the disease by 2030.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post issue N0:3241 of Thursday September 26, 2024