As the Government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare takes on the fight against malaria, the Liberian Red Cross has joined in the process with the introduction of Community-based Malaria Prevention, which aims to strengthen awareness and empower communities to adapt preventative measures and influence behaviour change amongst households. With support from its partners including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Canadian Red Cross (CRC), the Liberian Red Cross is working in collaboration with the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) of the Ministry of Health to provide behaviour change communication (BCC) and ensure that the population in the targeted communities understand the importance of hanging and utilizing long-lasting insecticide nets (LLINs) in order to reduce malaria related mortality and morbidity, and improve the general state of health in the country. The project is expected to benefit about 27, 130 households in Bomi and Gbarpolu Counties.
In an effort to jump-start this project at the community level, a week-long training-of-trainers workshop, which brought together fourteen participants from Bomi and Gbarpolu Counties, was conducted in Tubmanburg city from 12 - 17 January. The participants learned about the causes, signs and symptoms of malaria, as well as the means of preventing and controlling it. Facilitators at the workshop included Mr. Mohammed Dukuly, the Malaria Focal Person of the Bomi County Health Team, and Miss. Joyce L. Kilikpo, Senior Malaria Officer of the Liberian Red Cross.
According to Miss. Kilikpo, "the fourteen trainers will immediately conduct training of additional 94 focal persons from 23 - 27 January. Those trainings will take place simultaneously in Bomi (38 persons) and Gbarpolu (56 persons). Subsequently, the focal persons will train and supervise about 1,800 community volunteers that will serve in their respective environments."
The Liberian Red Cross responds to the needs of vulnerable people at all times and treats them with dignity and without discrimination.
We are part of a global voluntary network, responding to conflicts, natural disasters and individual emergencies.
We empower people through voluntary actions in all communities with the aim of alleviating human suffering, poverty, and promoting peace.