The effectiveness of the Competence Approach in the struggle against Malaria

In Sohm, on average 5 children would die from malaria every year. But Mrs Sera Badjie, wife of the Alkalo, told us that, "since the Self Assessment had been introduced, not a single child had died in the village."

Mr Lamin Badjie, the President of the Village Development Committee acknowledged that before his community completed the Self Assessment, they hardly knew anyhing about malaria. "We now know how malaria spreads and we know the importance of a clean environment. For two years now, we have not had a single case of severe malaria."

At Bara, on the north side of the river, the Alkalo Mr Kenbugul Faye recalls the miscarriages that happened so often not so long ago and which brought such sadness to families. "The doesn't happen any longer, because the pregnant women to the ante-natal clinic."

At Madina Bafulotu, each year the community receives from a German NGO a gift of $1,000 to help to pay the costs of consultations at the Health Centre caused by malaria. "Two years ago, we used to spend this grant within two months. This year, it lasted six months !”

In Salikeni, in front of the 800 pupils of the school, 13 girls and 12 boys has been trained by NSGA to provide information to their colleagues about malaria. They performed a drama that gave information about the sturggle against malaria. The school children were listening and frequently laughing. They were clearly getting the messages.

The Alkalo of Salikeni appreciates greatly the impact of the drama group. « Before these performances and these public awareness actions, malaria was a terrible nuisance... it created social division within the community. Many people believed that malaria had something to do with witchcraft and that some community members were responsible for it. Using the Self Assessment tool made us free from such beliefs.

At the local health center, the nurse, Mrs Bakari Kinteh appreciates all that is done to make the population aware of malaria. She points out that before the NSGA facilitators came, she would see patients non-stop from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. “Now, the last patient leaves at 10:00 am. Morbidity and mortality have been dramatically reduced."

At Maka Farafenni, the whole village is there! It is there to see the local theatre group perform, with talent and humour, a piece contrasting the right and wrong way to react to a malaria crisis.

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