SUFI HANG UP CAMPAIGN ON THE WAY

SUFI Civil Society Organisations Trained On MILDA Hang Up Campaign
By Ojong Helen Ayamba
Email: helenayamba@yahoo.com
Mimi Soppo is 30 years old and lives with the husband and five children at Ndobo, Bonendaleneighbourhood of Bonassama Health District. Like her neighbours, she received vouchers for free mosquito nets at the local health centre during the last September 2011 mosquito net distribution campaign. Mosquito nets prevent malaria, a disease that is killing many children in Cameroon. Mimi got the voucher, but did not know where to get the free nets. They had never used mosquito bed nets before and two of her children failed in school because they were frequently sick with malaria.
Due to the size of their family, they received two bed nets and were advised to hang the nets up 24 hours after reception when they arrived home. Her husband helped her using a few nails to hang them, but the nets kept falling down. To receive mosquito nets is not enough. One must know how to correctly hang them. One net was hung and the other was just put aside.
Two weeks after the net distribution, two yo0ung people knocked at their door and were introduced by the village head as volunteers who would help them hang upbed nets correctly. Mimi was very happy and in less than one hour, all the nets were hung correctly and they learnt how to maintain them. Since then, the nets have changed their lives and for the first time, they are are all sleeping through the night without being bitten by mosquitoes. Since they have been using the nets, their children have not missed school because of fever.
SUFI is a five year project designed to reduce the prevalence of malaria. One of the easiest ways to reduce malaria is to prevent mosquitoes from biting humans. The challenge is that only 45% of children less than five years old, and less than 50% of pregnant women slept under an impregnated net at night before the national MILDA campaign in 2011.
As a result of the mass distribution of nets carried out by the Cameroon Ministry of Public Health and other partners, Plan Cameroon is training civil society organization and community based organisationson the importance of hanging the insecticide treated bed nets correctly and using them evry night of the year to prevent malaria.
This is the substance of a Scaling Up malaria control for Impact in Cameroon from 2011 and 2015, as Plan Cameroon and the Malaria Consortium – Cameroon Coalition Against Malaria embraced a capacity building trainer of trainers workshop to capacitate civil society organizations on the use of community monitoring and evaluation tools and communication support for behaviour change in Douala, littoral region of Cameroon.
Hang Up is the slogan that has been chosen to encourage people to always sleep under the long=life action impregnated mosquito net. According to the facilitators, a public awareness campaign for the use of the mosquito net will soon take off throughout Cameroon hang Up is an increased follow-up of the regular use of the mosquito net in the households.
The key facilitators of the workshop in Douala from the 21st – 23rd February, 2012 were Sibetcheu Daniel of the Malaria Consortium – Cameroon Coalition Against Malaria (MC-CCAM), Dr. FotsoFokam of Plan international Cameroon, Dr. Simo Francis of IRESCO and AKOA Lin Christophe of the malaria control unit for the littoral.
During the three days, the participants composed of the Chief District Medical Officers and the accredited SUFI Civil Society Organisations from the 19 health districts of the Littoral region exchanged the generalities of malaria, communication techniques, MILDA Hang Up campaign process, health information system with communities, how to elaborate a training schedule at district level and the elements of justification of an executed activity.
Malaria kills a person every 30 seconds. It is responsible for 500 million cases of illness every year and kills children in particular. It is endemic in 109 countries around the world and reinforces poverty. That is why it is considered a permanent enemy, because it surfaces each time control and prevention is slowed down
The short term objective is that 80% patients are and treated with efficient anti-malaria prescription. All pregnant women receive malaria prevention treatment from 4 months of pregnancy. In the short term, incidence of malaria in the world is reduced by 75% and that the realisation of the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals in the case of the fight against malaria is achieved. The universal coverage is continued with efficient interventions
In Cameroon,181 civil society organisations and 15.500 community based organisations are involved in the control of malaria throughout the ten regions.

MC – CCAM VA EN GUERRE CONTRE LE PALUDISME

Par Rosette Ombessack
SUFI OSC Bonassama
Email: camlink99@gmail.com
Le « Malaria Consortium – Cameroon Coalition Against Malaria (MC – CCAM) » a organisé le 01 février 2012 à Douala une réunion de plaidoyer pour la lutte contre le paludisme au Cameroun. C’était en présence d’un parterre d’autorités à l’instar du représentant du gouverneur de la région du littoral, Madame Sincon Rachel, La Directrice de MCCCAM, Dr. Esther Tallah, le délégué de la santé pour le littoral , Dr. Bita Fouda, la coordinatrice régionale de l’unité de paludisme pour le littoral, Gertrude Bita.
La petite Patricia âgée de dix ans, habitant le quartier Logpom à Douala est décédé il y’a quelque semaines des suites d’une maladie qu’on appelle le paludisme. Elle était reconnue dans son entourage comme une petite fille intelligente et respectueuse enfant.
Le cas de Patricia n’est pas isolé. Car le paludisme est une maladie mortelle qui décime les êtres humains à l’échelle mondiale. En effet, selon les statistiques fournies par le GMAP, le paludisme tue une personne toutes les 30 secondes, est responsable de 500 millions de cas de maladies chaque année, tue les enfants en particulier, et est endémique dans 109 pays, aggrave et renforce la pauvreté, et est ennemi permanent et resurgit chaque fois qu’il y’a ralentissement de la lutte contre le paludisme.
C’est fort de cette sombre situation que le GMAP, le plan d’action mondial contre le paludisme, est lancée comme stratégie par le partenariat « Roll Back Malaria » en septembre 2008 pour élaborer un cadre détaillé pour la lutte contre le paludisme dont la finalité est l’éradication de celui-ci.
La rencontre du 01 février avait pour souci le plaidoyer pour la lutte contre le paludisme au Cameroun. Il s’est agit pour les initiateurs de convaincre les uns et les autres que le problème est réel et que par conséquent, cela nécessite leur implication, et ce d’autant plus que, une seule main ne peut pas faire un nœud. Le représentant du Gouverneur de la région du littoral, Madame Rachel Sincon, a d’ailleurs souligné dans ses propos que les pouvoirs publics à eux seuls ne peuvent lutter contre cette terrible maladie, d’où la nécessité d’associer les partenaires comme les ONG ( Organisation de société civile) et même les populations à s’impliquer dans ce combat.
Rachel Sincon a tenu à rappeler la décision salutaire du président de la République, Son Excellence, Monsieur Paul Biya, relative à la gratuité du traitement du paludisme chez les enfants de moins de 5 ans et les femmes enceintes, et ces partenaires qui ont décidé de distribuer gratuitement les MILDA.
Le GMAP est le premier et unique projet global en matière de lutte contre le paludisme et son éradication. Car il vise à lutter contre le paludisme à une échelle beaucoup plus grande, fournit une feuille de route qui comprend tous les pays endémiques, assure que les résultats positifs réalisés au niveau régional restent permanents, empêche la réintroduction de parasites provenant de pays endémique.
Après la campagne de distribution des MILDA, l’heure est à la phase de plaidoyer, information et la communication avec les populations pour le changement de comportement. Il va s’agir de recenser ceux qui n’ont pas eut les MILDA pour qu’ils y entrent en possession lors des campagnes qui seront fait chaque année durant la période de 5 ans. Les organisations de la société civile (OSC) sont chargées de l’encadrement des organisations à base communautaires (OBC). Dans le cadre du programme, il faudra sensibiliser les populations sur la nécessité d’utiliser les MILDA afin de les décourager à les vendre, comme c’est le cas chez certains qui, après avoir eu une MILDA depuis des mois ne l’utilise pas, attendant une occasion pour la placer. Pour cela, les agents de la GMAP seront formés et formeront à leur tour ceux des communautaires à éviter les dérapages pendant l’exécution de la feuille de route mise en place par le GMAP.

Plan Cameroon, BCH Africa and Cameroon Link sign SUFI Protocol Agreement

By CAMLINK SUFI
Email: camlink99@gmail.com
Plan Cameroon has signed a Tripartite Protocol Agreement with CAMEROON LINK and BCH Africa Civil Society Organisation (CSO) to implement advocacy and communication activities for behavioural change within the frame work of the fight against malaria in the territory of the Health District of Bonassama. Cameroon entered into an agreement with the World Bank Fund for the fight against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to implement a 5-year project: “Scaling up Malaria Control for Impact in Cameroon (SUFI) 2011-2015”. Famari BARRO signed on behalf of Plan Cameroon, Kondji Konji Dominique signed on behalf of BCH Africa and James Achanyi-Fontem endorsed the agreement on behalf of Cameroon Link CSO.
The project is structured according to the “Dual Track”, model with the Cameroon Ministry of Public Health as the Principal Recipient 1 (PR1) and Plan Cameroon as Principal Recipient 2 (PR2). Three other sub recipients (SR) are ACMS, IRESCO and MC-CCAM. Plan Cameroon is responsible for the implementation of the advocacy and communication package for behavioural change in collaboration with its two sub-recipients which are IRESCO, MC-CCAM and the civil society organisations (OSC) at the regional level, Health Districts level and the Community Based Organizations (CBO) at the health area level. 10 CSO in ten regions of Cameroon, 179 CSO in Health Districts and 15.500 CBO Health areas of Cameroon are concerned with the implementation of SUFI project.
Within the framework of the project implementation calendar, Plan Cameroon, in its capacity as Principal Recipient has entrusted CAMEROON LINK with the responsibility to take part and follow up the implementation of the activities of the Round 9 SUFI Project in its capacity as representative of the civil society organisation selected in the Health District of Bonassama to ensure that the interests of the populations are taken into account and that they are involved in the adaptation of the activities for the fight against malaria to the realities of individual capacities and communities.
CAMEROON LINK has engaged to implement the project as presented in the chronogram of Plan Cameroon. It would be recalled that Plan Cameroon places the protection of the Child at the centre of its concerns and CAMEROON LINK is conforming to the same policy of child rights as presented in the agreement.
The signed protocol agreement on 25th January,has been concluded to cover a period of 12 months from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012 and It could be renewed on the basis of a positive evaluation of the performance of the activities carried out by CAMEROON LINK. Plan will put at the disposal of CAMEROON LINK, all the necessary documents and information tools for the good execution of the activities of SUFI in the Health District of Bonassama through BCH-AFRICA, which was selected as the regional civil society organisation to supervise activities in the Littoral region of Cameroon. BCH-AFRICA will also support CAMEROON LINK in facilitation where need would arise.

Health Evidence Collection & Usage

By James Achanyi-Fontem, Cameroon Link
Email: camlink99@gmail.com
A two-day workshop for civil society organizations (CSO) and Journalists on health and use of data ended in Douala on the 3rd December 2011 at Hotel la Falaise. It was organized by the centre for the Development of best practices in health (CDBPS-H) based at the Yaoundé Central Hospital with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Key speakers during the workshop were Dr. Jean Serge Ndongo, who leads the team, Robert Marie Mba, a sociologist who concentrated on how to make well informed decisions from basic facts, Dr. Lawrence Mbuagbaw, who coached the participants on usage of internet links for collection of researched information and Dr. Habiba who shared her experiences during a field investigation for collection of information and health data.
The training started with the introduction of what taking well informed public health decision is about, how to carry out a search of viable sources information on the internet and judge its quality and when the information data is collected, how to make us of it.
The 24 participants drawn from media houses and civil society organizations from the littoral and south west regions were coached during a practical exercise on how to identify and analyze health problems. After the analysis of a problem, the quantified information can then be considered for use in taking a well informed decision that would not be contested.
Dr. Lawrence Mbuagbaw talked about assessing the quality of evidence through explanatory notes covering evaluation, and tools that can be used for evidence assessment. Participants were guided in a practical session of evidence assessment with a case. It was observed that media publications on health did not adequately discuss cost effectiveness of patient treatment nor quantified benefit of a new drug.
The published articles hardly evaluate the quality of the evidence, though many tools exist to treat quality evidence in medical research. The understanding of the workshop content is going to help determine how much confidence to place in the medical results made public almost on daily basis.
It was observed that some journalists have often confused association with causality. In other words, association is explained as two things going together, while causality in one thing causing the other. A good example is that cigarette smoking causes lung cancer and promiscuity is associated with HIV infection. It should be understood that a promoted new product does not always mean the best product. It is simply an effect of consumerism and new products should be marketed ardently.
To publish health articles, journalists are advised to use data bases that have some measure of quality control and that have high quality evidence; The Cochrane library has been quoted as a good place for collection of evidence, because published works are well researched.
Health specialists should be contacted when a journalist is not sure of the quality of evidence and a check list should be used to ensure quality. Biomedical viable information sources are: www.who.int/en/, www.unicef.org/, www.unfpa.org , www.phmovement.org, www.cdss.dros-minisante;cameroun.org, www.statistics-cameroon.org, www.cdbph.org, www.consumers.cochrane.org/