The effectiveness of the Competence Approach in the struggle against Malaria

From the start, the Togolese Red Cross was concerned, not to say ‘obsessed’, to make the Malaria Competence Approach durable. The management of the Red Cross is convinced that today’s action will not last unless support is received.

However, district coaches who have been working with communities for two or three years, will have to move on to support others who have not yet been involved in the Malaria Competence approach.

For this reason, in Sokodé, Central Region, the Red Cross Regional Committee, supported by the Swiss Red Cross, is considering grading communities as follows : very competent, competent, with little competence. “With this system in place,” reflects Dr Atobiank, “we will be able to reduce support to the very competent and to increase it to those with little competence.”

And he adds, “Sustainability of action generated by the Self Assessment is now our challenge. But we think that some communities have reached such a high level of ownership in the struggle against malaria that they can go on without outside help."

And Blaise Sedoh states that communities have two large advantages to ensure the sustainability of the process. First, each of them has, among its members, a local coach and his always present apprentice, both well trained. And secondly, the Club for Mothers represents a great strength for community action.