Rotary Malaria Project Liberia (2021)

Organisation Details

Introduction 

Malaria is an endemic disease in Liberia and it is the leading cause of attendance at outpatient departments (OPDs) and the number one cause of death among inpatients in Liberia. The greatest toll of malaria is among children under 5 and pregnant women. Hospital records suggest that at least 33 percent of all inpatient deaths and 41 percent of inpatient deaths among children under age 5 are attributable to malaria. While malaria maintains its lead in the cause morbidity and mortality, the government of Liberia and partners has significantly invested in its prevention and treatment. 

Unfortunately, the Ebola virus disease outbreak of 2014 caused major setbacks in the fight against malaria. As the country had started to make progress, COVID 19 Pandemic is again negatively affecting the fight against Malaria in Liberia. The Ministry of Health, through the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) and partners developed another five-year policy and strategic plan (2016-2020) for the control and prevention of malaria. This Plan focuses on malaria prevention and control in four main activities: case management of malaria, management of malaria pregnancy, integrated vector management, and advocacy and behavior change interventions. In addition, the plan aims to strengthen the NMCP program by improving management, operational research, monitoring and evaluation, and overall health systems strengthening. The Rotary assistance in the behavior change communication that strives to increase support for advocacy and health education at all community level is important to minimize the prevalence of malaria. The Behaviour Change will use radio, community outreach programmes at community town halls and going from house to house to stress the importance of artemisinin based combination therapy (ACT), long –lasting insecticidal nets use (LLINs), and other form of vector management. Community engagement in the control and prevention activities of malaria is key. 

Goal:

The Rotary Malaria Committee of Liberia seeks to support the five-year plan of the National Malaria Control and Prevention in creating awareness at community level on the availability and appropriate use of existing interventions to reduce the incidence of malaria. The overarching goal of the National Malaria Control and Prevention five yearplan is to reduce morbidity and mortality caused by malaria by 50%, in line with the Global Malaria Plan and the Global Technical Strategy for Malaria. The NMCP and its partners have increased interventions in case management, prevention of malaria during pregnancy, integrated vector management, and advocacy and behavior change. Unfortunately, a number of communities do not take advantage of the available resources to reduce the incidence of malaria and promptly treat cases. 

Main Objective:

The primary objective of this project is to conduct malaria prevention educational awareness activities in two communities in Bong and Monsterrado counties –Salala and Gbangay town –to utilize available tools to prevent malaria among pregnant women and children under five years old at household level by the end of Rotary Year 2020/2021.

Specific objectives:

1. To empower community leaders in Gbangay Town and Salala in Montserrado and Bong Counties to engage their community members to take positive actions by providing them with facts about malaria prevention, treatment and control;
2. To raise awareness through radio messages about malaria prevention, treatment and control that will minimize myths and conspiracy theories related to available tools for malaria prevention, treatment, and control such as use of impregnated mosquito nets.
3. Engage Rotaractors and volunteers to assist Rotarians during health talks  and health walks and distribution of available malaria prevention and control materials to targeted communities and monitor compliance;

The Target Communities 

The targeted Communities are Gbangay Town in Monrovia and Salala Districtin Gbarnga Bong County because they are documented evidence that the malaria case load there is high. The Rotary Malaria Committee of Liberia and the Rotary Clubs of Liberia conducted a quick survey on pregnant women and children under 5 years in those areas and found out that 17% of children under 5 have had malaria in the last 1 month and 10% of pregnant women in these communities has had malaria.

Project Description – Budget Summary Note

1. 1. Malaria Prevention and Control Health Talk: Consistent with the National Malaria Control Programme and the Ministry of Health of Liberia advocacy and behavior change interventions, health talk will increase support for advocacy, health education and behavior change communication (BCC) at community level. The health talk will improve knowledge and behavior regarding prevention and treatment of malaria among the general population especially pregnant women and children under 5. The target group of 126 people from the two communities will form part of the health talk which will include community leaders, pregnant women, mother of children under 5, and Journalist. Drama performance by a drama group will be included to help the community members visualize and understand the malaria prevention messages better. Representatives of the National Malaria Control Programme and the Ministry of Health of Liberia will also be present to give further information regarding malaria prevention. Snacks and water will be provided for all the participants

1. 1. Malaria Prevention and Control Health Walk: consists of going House to House to visit families and business owners in the community to educate them in their houses on malaria prevention and distribute mosquito bed nets. This is another form of community outreach where Rotarians, Rotaractors, volunteers, representative of the National Malaria Control Programme and Ministry of Health of Liberia will all go from house to house in the stated communities and educate the public first hand in their homes, pointing out to them malaria hazards such as stagnant water left after washing clothes or cooking outdoors, using mosquito bed nets as garden fences instead of over their bed to prevent malaria. These household visits will also serve to support the National Malaria Control Programme by Rotary actively participating in the national bed net distribution campaign so that the public can also receive education on the importance of the mosquito bed net and how to effectively use it along with other malaria prevention methods.

1. 1. Malaria Control and Prevention: Radio Talk Show(Radio Panel Discussion) & Short Radio Pre-recorded Malaria Prevention Messages: 
      • The Radio Talk Show will include a Representative from the Ministry of Health, National Malaria Control Programme and Rotary members which will be aired on ELBC National Radio Station and Radio ECOWAS.
      • The Short Radio Pre-recorded Malaria Prevention Messages will provide messages, which will leverage existing malaria control and prevention message that the Ministry of Health uses. These messages will be pre-recorded on ECOWAS Radio Station that cover most part of the country and played in simple English and local dialect such as Kpelle that constitute about 40 percent of the country’s population. 

1. 1. Banners, Fliers, Bumper stickers and Billboards: These forms of advertisement will contain malaria prevention messages along with illustrations using cartoon characters or coloured pictures which will encourage the public to adopt good behavioural practice towards reducing the spread of malaria. Posters and stickers can be posted on the walls of government offices, business offices, private companies, schools, hospitals, restaurants, cafes, hair dressing salons, hotels, prisons etc. Fliers will be distributed in the community and bumper stickers given to drivers to post on their vehicles. The billboards will be located on the sides of major highways in the communities stated. There will be two billboards made to be placed in Montserrado and Bong Counties displaying the Roll Out of Malaria in Liberia in partnership with the Rotary Malaria Committee of Liberia, Rotary Clubs in Liberia, Ministry of Health and other partners.

1. 1. Printed T-shirts and caps: These will be worn by representatives of the Ministry of Health and National Malaria Control Programme of Liberia, Rotaractors, Rotarians and other volunteers as a way of campaigning when going to the communities in support of malaria prevention activities. The T-Shirts and Caps will also be used during Liberia World Malaria Day celebration which will be held in April to be properly identified as Rotarians. The printed t-shirt will cost $6 each and the printed caps $4 each making it $10 for a set of t-shirt and cap.

1. The Administrative cost such as means of communication and transportation will go toward volunteers and Rotaractors that will assist Rotarians and other medical people to conduct health talks with the communities:
   • Recharge cards is for the Cellular phones credit will be used to communicate among the Rotarians and Rotaractors while in the field doing house to house health walk visit educating the public in their homes and distributing mosquito bed nets. These cell phone credits will enable the volunteers to know their colleagues location at all time and to get in touch with community leaders and also to monitor the communities’ compliance to the malaria prevention information given. 
   •  Transportation for Rotaractors who will be visiting communities: for 20 individuals on the field to be able to move from place to place traveling back and forth to the communities to carry out the house to house visit to spread the malaria prevention messages.