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, Bonendale neighbourhood 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.

Advocacy Meeting Holds On Malaria Control In Cameroon

By Camlink SUFI CSO
Email: camlink99@gmail.com
A regional advocacy meeting was organised in Douala by the Malaria Consortium – Cameroon Coalition Against Malaria (CM-CCAM) to highlight progress made in the Littoral region of Cameroon and the world as a whole. Key speakers at the meeting were Dr. Esther Tallah, the director of MC-CCAM, the SUFI Zonal Coordinator for Littoral, Tony Kouemou, the Littoral Coordinator of Malaria Control Unit, Dr. Gertrude Bita, and Akere Maimo Jospeh, in charge of advocacy, monitoring and evaluation within the coalition.
The meeting was presided over by the representative of Littoral governor in the presence of the representatives of Douala City Council, Douala 5 City Council,and the regional delegate for public health, Dr, Bita Fouda. The focus of discussions were on the action plan of malaria control around the world, the situation in the different regions of the world and Cameroon in particular,
Dr. Esther Tallah made an exhaustive analysis of the project “Scaling up malaria control for impact (SUFI) in Cameroon insisting on the gaps of the project that need to be given consideration during the current implementation phase.
A discussion on the advocacy experiences in the health districts and how the activities are monitored and evaluated surfaced during the exchanges of experiences on the field. It was made known that malaria kills a person in the world every 30 seconds and it is responsible of over 500 million hospital cases every year.
Malaria kills children in particular and it is endemic in 109 countries of the world aggravating the state of poverty. It should be considered a permanent enemy within our communities and that is why all target groups of the society must be involved in the fight against the malaria germ.
GMAP, the World Plan against Malaria, is a strategy launched in September 2008 as Roll Back Malaria. This plan gives a detailed frame work for the fight against malaria, and recommends strategies for protecting the whole population at risk of contracting malaria.
GMAP aims at the eradication of malaria in the world. Contributions came from 30 endemic countries of the world, 65 international institutions and 250 experts in diverse fields of research on the malaria control issue.
The principal actors of GMAP are the governments, international multi-lateral organisations, decision makers, civil society organisations, Funding Agencies, lawyers, communities and researchers. GMAP is divided in three phase with short, medium and long term objectives.
Within the short term, 80% of patients should be diagnosed and treated with efficient malaria drugs, while 100% of expectant mothers should receive preventive treatment in health facilities. 50% of malaria cases were expected to have been handled by the year 2010 and 80% of the persons at risk would have adopted appropriate methods of receiving treatment with approved drugs to fight against resistance. Dr. Tallah explained the roles to be played at all levels, like the municipal councils reactivating hygiene and sanitation programmes in their different jurisdictions, civil society organisation informing, educating and training community based organisations on SUFI ownership and the organisation of educative talks within communities during the hand up phase supported by Plan International, the second principal recipient of the Global Fund subvention. More on this story can be accessed on the following links
•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ys4zElKyZp0&list=UU4k_kfKKu_dDkTrc8Llaupw&index=1&feature=plcp
•http://www.spreaker.com/page#!/show/the_camlink_douala_show

Cameroon Link New Year Wishes 2012

On behalf of Cameroon Link, I would like to wish you all a Happy New Year and I hope your 2012 is off to a great start. The month of January is a time for new beginnings, but it is also a moment when we reflect on the previous year. In 2011, Cameroon Link began exciting new programs with the Commonwealth of Learning, WABA, Farm radio International, Plan Cameroon and the Cameroon Ministry of Public. A review of Cameroon Link's activities sheet was made to meet up with current modern challenges. We lost dear ones, but we also received new faces on board our programmes. At the same time we have reaffirmed our commitment to continue to promote, protect and support mother and child health care advocacy in various ways through community of learning open distance skills training and sharing of experiences.
We are proud of all we achieved in 2011 especially with the reshaping of the Men's Initiative e-newsletter. We could not have done it without the support of all at WABA Secretariat, our partners, national networks, regional networks, donors and people like you, who are passionate about the work we do. In your various countries and regions, there are many ways you can play an active role in changing the world through information, education and support of expectant mothers and lactating mothers. Find out more about SUFI, Community of Learning, Farm Radio and WABA Men’s Initiative campaigns and get creative with your awareness raising activities! Take a chance to inform and engage people on important global infant and young child health issues. Also remember that change doesn't happen on its own. We have to act collectively. When at http://uk.youtube.com/camlink99, click on breastfeeding promotion at the right corner and you will find yourself at"www.waba.org.my" web site.Click on healthy community and you will be at the www.col.org. Know more about Farm Radio International by visiting, www.farmradio.org. Congratulations to our IT specialists for connecting us better every day. We wish that 2012 should open the door for "Peace, Good Health, the achievement of your heart's desires and Happiness!
James Achanyi-Fontem
Coordinator,
WABA Men’s Initiative
Email: camlink99@gmail.com
You Tube: http://uk.youtube.com/camlink99
Online Radio: http://www.spreaker.com/page#!/show/the_camlink_douala_show

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.