Speaking Friday, when some of the Malawi Health Equity Network (MEHN) officials visited Mkamaumoza Health Post to monitor mother care groups’ activities, Secretary for Kandazgewe Mother Care Group, Wezi Sanga said the group hatched the idea of constructing the facility after being trained by MEHN.
Sanga said commended the District Health Office for Mzimba for providing the facility with a refrigerator for vaccine storage.
“We are currently in the process of constructing a house for our Disease Surveillance Assistant who is currently temporarily staying in a teacher’s house,” said Sanga
She said the number of parents who deny their children from getting immunized has tremendously reduced as the facility is brought to their doorstep.
“We are excited that with the knowledge which we got from MEHN through training, we are able to follow-up households which have under five children so that no child misses any vaccine thereby increasing immunization uptake,” she said.
Health surveillance assistant for the area, Cannan Mkumbwa said the trainings which were conducted by MEHN have simplified health workers’ activities.
“Since the mother group members sensitize people on the importance of having their under-five children immunities, we continue to register increased immunization uptake on weekly bases,” said Mkumbwa.
Assistant Project Officer for MEHN, Herbert Chakwawa said he was impressed with the community’s initiative for the improved well-being of the children and the community as a whole.
MEHN in partnership with the Ministry of Health has since 2019 been establishing mother care groups in some districts across the country.
These groups are empowered with advocacy skills and tracking immunization defaulters besides advocating for community participation in ensuring efficient health services delivery in their areas.
The organization has formed about 267 mother-care groups in Chitipa, Mzimba, Lilongwe, Blantyre, Kasungu, Dowa, Ntchisi, and Mchinji districts.