I know, I know, it’s be an insanely long time since I posted. I’ve been an extremely neglectful person who before was an insanely busy PCV who then went on vacation to Spain and decided to not think about PC more than I need to while I was gone. More on that later. In the meantime, below is the completion report from the mosquito net distribution in Kolda, which means yes! The distribution was completed well and on schedule at the end of July, and everyone now has and loves their nets, hurray! Read on for details (photos to come by the 16th I promise). Again, go easy on the writing style. My english continues to falter as I pretend to speak French, Mandinka, bits of Wolof, Pulaar, Spanish… etc.
Did the community reach the goal and of its project? If not, why?
The main priority and first goal of this campaign was achieved. It is however, important to note that the goal of decreasing the incidence of malaria in the department of Kolda is not a goal that can be measured immediately, or by one aspect of the project. Therefore, to more specifically state our success: the first step towards the goal of decreasing the incidence of malaria in the Department of Kolda was achieved, as the first goal was universal coverage of Long Lasting Insecticide treated Nets (LLINs).
The underlying goal of the project, which worked towards sustainable capacity building in the health workers and volunteers in the Department of Kolda, was also achieved. Almost every aspect of the distribution – the planning, execution and follow-up – was conceived and overseen by the health workers in the Department of Kolda. Health volunteers and workers in health posts and huts around the department fulfilled their assigned duties, and even went above and beyond what was asked of them in some circumstances in order to achieve universal coverage.
How did the project build capacity in the community? What new skills have been acquired by the project participants? (Be specific as to what skills and which participants/community members)
Along with the success of achieving universal coverage in the department of Kolda, an equally momentous accomplishment is the amount of new skills gained by Kolda’s health supervisors, Health Extension Agents (HEAs), and community volunteers. Previously in Kolda, mosquito net distributions that took place in villages were planned and carried out by PCVs and their local village counterparts, or by organizations such as World Vision; health supervisors and local health workers in Kolda were merely informed in the distributions, but seldom participated in any step of the distribution process. This project completely changed that pattern. From the first planning meetings in the beginning of June through the final house-checks after the distributions in the end of July, Department of Kolda health workers and supervisors planned every step of the distribution process, properly trained local doctors and nurses at each health post, and successfully delegated the jobs needed to achieve each goal of the project during the distribution. Health workers created intricate schedules while pouring over maps of the department, discussed with local health post workers the best ways to reach distribution points in the time allotted for the distribution, and took ownership over the educational materials to be used during relais trainings, causeries, and distributions to ensure that the information was conveyed correctly to local villagers.
One would assume that the discussed administrative and logistical skills would be inherent in the job of any health supervisor or worker, but as many volunteers discover, they are not. Yet, with the steep goals and tight timeline of this project, local health workers and local volunteers stepped up to the challenge beautifully and facilitated a successful, timely, and educational net distribution. Many PCVs who participated in the distributions commented on the quick thinking and problem solving skills of local relais and health volunteers; where once relais felt that they could only act when instructed to do so by a doctor or nurse, when confronted with problems concerning net counts, missing materials, or unprepared causeries, they showed resilience and creativity in solving the problems at hand so they could continue the distributions on schedule.
How will community members apply their new skills or otherwise sustain the activities and/or benefits of the project? How will they cover any recurring costs?
Though this project specifically targeted malaria control and education, the skills gained and used to carry out every aspect of the distribution can be applied to any type of health outreach project the Department of Kolda undertakes in the future. From the extensive planning skills and creative logistical thinking used to organize the distribution, to the quick problem solving skills and public speaking/teaching methods gained on the ground during causeries, local HEAs, health workers, and supervisors are leaving this project with an arsenal of expertise to help them tackle future goals and health campaigns in the Department of Kolda.
In addition, local villagers have learned a number of new skills and gained new information pertaining to malaria from the distributions. Not only do they now understand how to properly take care of their nets to ensure durability, but also, villagers have gained information on other methods of decreasing the burden of malaria from causeries, and in some villages, how to make Neem lotion – another preventative method against malaria.
Concerning recurring costs and future distributions – the health workers in the Department of Kolda hope that from experiencing the benefits of universal coverage, villagers around Kolda will place a higher value in their mosquito nets, and therefore will keep them safe and on their beds every night, until the impregnation on the nets wears out in five years. Then, be it through another government-run distribution or through low-cost net sales at health posts, it is the hope of the Department of Kolda that villagers will take it upon themselves to obtain new nets and continue their fight against malaria.
What unexpected events (positive or negative) did you encounter during the project? Based on your experiences, do you have any recommendations for others implementing a similar project?
The most unexpected positive event that PCVs continuously encountered during the distributions was the quick thinking and creative problem solving displayed by local health workers and volunteers. Instead of passing blame or giving up, health workers worked diligently when problems arose to ensure the continued efforts of the distribution. Especially in village, this attitude is not one that is often seen, and therefore was very welcomed by PCVs during the distribution. In addition, the help provided by World Vision in the transportation of mosquito net bails was completely unplanned and unexpected but greatly appreciated, as it kept costs down and allowed the Department of Kolda to take ownership over yet another aspect of the distribution process.
On a different note, it was startling how many distribution points were not willing to provide the local health workers or volunteers with lunch as they worked all day throughout distributions. Therefore, our food cost was a bit higher than expected, as at any distribution a PCV attended, we made sure that lunch was provided by either buying food ourselves to be cooked or paying local women for extra food.
As for future projects and net distributions, I would really like for this project to be a model for future department or region-wide distributions in which PCVs would participate. To date, the majority of distributions around Senegal have been PCV planned, led, and reviewed, and while it is wonderful that PCVs have been able to distribute nets in villages, PCV-led distributions do not gain any ground in the areas of sustainable capacity building in local health volunteers and workers. It is difficult for many PCVs – after participating in so many distributions around Senegal, and having a wealth of knowledge on the good and bad ways a distribution can run – to take a back seat and offer only support and suggestions while locals take the lead for the first time in the distribution process. Still, it is what needs to happen. Peace Corps has been in Senegal for many years, but volunteers come and go while locals remain – it is integral that PCVs remember this, and approach future distributions not as opportunities for them to take the lead, but now as opportunities to offer support and ideas as local counterparts, relais, and health workers lead their own villages down the paths of malaria prevention.
