Hello,
We have just received the following report from Alex Magaga, Chairman of Lake Victoria Childrens Society in Ukerewe regarding their forthcoming outreach activities.
L.V.C. have won a one-off grant from the Diplomatic Spouse Group (DSG) in Dar es Salaam, the same charity who supported us to set up a Tailoring Shop in 2011.
In May, they are going to fund us to implement a project called COMMUNITY ACTION AGAINST MALNUTRITION AND MALARIA. It will take three months to complete the project. The outreach programme will be carried out in the evenings so as not to interfere with our other activities. I submitted the funding request to help us with our Health Action Programme and from it I designed the Community Action Against Malnutrition and Malaria. One of the members of the DSG will visit us to monitor the programme and we expect the grant to cover the costs for three months to educate the communities in ten villages.
PROJECT BACKGROUND. Community Action Against Malnutrition and Malaria (CAAMM) is a project specifically designed to fight malnutrition and malaria in their wide ranging effects in children and pregnant women on Ukerewe Island. The project will be implemented in two sections. The first being malnutrition and the second, malaria prevention.
MALNUTRITION
Goal.
Improvement in the health and nutritional status of children under five years of age and also pregnant and lactating women. This is to ensure healthy child growth by strengthening services and increasing family and community involvement in health and nutritional education activities by introducing at family level the production and consumption of highly nutritious OFSP (Orange Fleshed Sweet Potatoes).
Objectives.
Increased level of awareness of the benefits of OFSP to health in children and pregnant women.
Promote and facilitate production of OFSP at household level.
Increase consumption of OFSP in all vulnerable populations.
Promote and advocate integration of OFSP in agricultural programmes.
Expand and enhance marketing of OFSP across various communities.
Activities.
Mobilisation of communities for the need for each family to produce OFSP.
Capacity building to families on the production of OFSP through training, seminars and community meetings etc. (About 150 families identified from 10 villages)
Capacity building to families on basic social marketing tips of OFSP, business skills and targeting potential buyers and post harvest handling of OFSP.
To lower the cost of seed and other advice for the improved production of OFSP.
Family based surveillance to measure production, consumption and marketing of OSFP.
MALARIA
Goal
To decrease sickness and mortality from Malaria by mobilising community action against the disease. This will be in areas where incident rates are at the highest, especially around fishing communities.
Objectives.
To increase access to adequate and effective drugs for treatment at Health Facility and community level.
Increase the use of Insecticide Treated Nets (ITN) for children and pregnant women.
Increase coverage and use of personal protective measures including indoor residual spraying.
Increase awareness and practice of malaria control and prevention in the community.
Increase in effective and efficient coordination and utilisation of resources available.
Increase awareness of malaria, its signs and symptoms to prevent it on Ukerewe Island.
Link community actions with national malaria prevention efforts to control the disease.
Activities.
The distribution of Mosquito Nets to identified vulnerable children and their families who do not have mosquito nets. (About 100 families identified in eight villages)
Educating the community through meetings on the management of stagnant water and other mosquito breeding sites in the community.
Identification of malaria prevention as a priority for local action and development of a local malaria awareness to ensure timely referral of severe cases.
Train care-givers/community health workers in the management of malaria at home and in the community.
Conduct field visits to identify different facilities which need the provision of mosquito nets.
Thank you Alex and good luck with your extensive project.
Best wishes,
Diane and Derek
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