Hints for a successful Malaria Competence programme
What advice can be drawn from the experience in the Gambia, to help a country or a region willing to adopt the Malaria Competence approach ?
Mrs Adam Jane Sonko makes some suggestions.
- Convince people that the approach works and is effective in mobilising local action against malaria.
- Build the capacities of communities and allow them to take the lead in facilitating the process and determining their own competence levels and drawing their action plans (problem identification and finding solutions).
- Partnership at all levels is crucial for the successful implementation of the approach and programmes.
- Recognise and use the comparative strength of each partner.
- The programme requires constant monitoring, follow up and supervision to serve as a catalyst for communities and to renew efforts.
- Promote learning and transfer within communities to create more interactions and interest between communities.
What advice can we draw from the experience in Togo to help a country or a region that wants to adopt the Malaria Competence approach ?
Blaise Sedoh offers these suggestions.
- To begin with, the project needs to be executed by one or more people who are convinced of the value of the approach. The people must have operational responsibilities and they must have staff who have been trained in the approach. People in charge of programmes must understand that the Self Assessment is not a replacement for existing programmes, but is a way of coordinating existing ones.
- From the start, the process must be based on community participation and training of community members. That has to be the starting point! And also make sure that field work makes up a part of the training programme.
- Make sure that there are people who concern themselves with coordination and follow up. Keep checking to see what is happening in the field. Give support!
We asked this same question (what advice?) to a group of women, in the village of Sohm in The Gambia.
And they answered with happy enthusiasm,
“Take along twenty of us to the country interested in Malaria Competence, and we will explain them what it is all about!”
And we are convinced that they could and that they would do exactly that with great success!