DEC’ Community Health Education and promotion which includes:
Awareness building programme by DEC program officer and campaign against HIV/AIDS led by the youth Vanguards.
Financial assistance for the provision of quality healthcare in rural communities through free mobile Health clinic.
Training of new and retraining of old community health workers as well as community youth vanguards for the fight against HIV/AIDS scourge.
Under Awareness Building Programme on Health Issues and Campaign on the scourge of HIV/AIDS:
The unit organized speaking out rallies on Health issues as it affects HIV/AIDS in many remote communities in Enugu and Ebonyi states.
During this outreach more than 1,500 people,which include youths, women, and men were reached and educated on HIV/AIDS prevention and control.
Also many testimonies were given on the impact of the programme in these communities where DEC’assisted youth vanguards are acting as evangelists on the issue of HIV/AIDS scourge. (Attached herewith are case stories by mobilizers of community youth vanguards)
This unit inaugurated and launched the Youth Vanguard campaign group in 5 new communities during this period in Enugu and Anambra States. During this launching, youths were officially mandated by the Executive Director of DEC Enugu to take up the mantle of leadership and act as a pressure group to fight against HIV/AIDS in their communities through awareness campaign, sensitization and to give care and support to those identified living with AIDS in their midst.
Through these Vanguards in more than 20 communities working with DEC in her Health Programme, men, women, youths and children were reached. ON THE PROVISION OF QUALITY HEALTH CARE TO WOMEN & CHILDREN IN RURAL COMMUNITIES THROUGH FREE MOBILE CLINICS.
The unit had gone far in reaching more remote areas especially those who have no access to any form of medical services. In each community, an average of 100 adult patients were attended to by DEC medical team as well as 100 school children were given de-warm tablets. During this period under review, we have on record to have attended to 600 school children and 600 mothers and their children including adult men. The Medical team for this service continued to be a medical Doctor, who is currently doing his one year- National youth service in Enugu State, Two qualified nurses hired on part time basis and the DEC’ Programme officer in charge OF THE PROGRAMME.
. In one of the communities, a child who was brought to the clinic for treatment and was diagnosed with worm manifestation was subsequently given de-worm tablet immediately. To the people’s suprise, before the clinic left the community, the child defecated worms, which was confirmed by the Doctor to be hook worm. ON TRAINING AND RE-TRAINING OF COMMUNITYHEALTH WORKERS AND HIV/AIDS’YOUTH VANGUARD MOBILIZERS.
Training and retraining workshop for community health workers in a routine practice in DEC; Twenty (20) new and old community health workers were trained Professional Nurses and public health personnels from the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu. EIGHT (8) health topics were treated extensively, viz: -
Pregnancy (meaning, signs and symptoms, ailments associated with pregnancy and management)
Pre-natal care (meaning, aims and implications)
Sexually transmitted Diseases (meaning, causes, types, signs and symptoms, treatment and complications)
Post-Natal care (meaning, aim and implications)
Menopause (meaning, causes, types, symptoms and management)
Abnormal birth (causes, management, types, symptoms and management)
Personal and Environmental Hygiene (meaning, types and effects)
Arthritis (meaning, causes, prevention and management)
In the same vain, prior to the training for MOBILIZERS of HIV/AIDS youth vanguards also took place, spadework visits on identification of youth leaders in five Local Government areas in the states of DEC operation was carried out by the Programme officer.
Forty (40) youth leaders identified from these communities attended leadership workshop on relevant issues associated with HIV/AIDS pandemic. The aim of this training is to systematically and strategically educate these youth leaders on how best to mobilize and sensitize other youths based organizations at the grass root level on HIV/AIDS scourge using critical mass approach.
The training is also to teach them on HIV/AIDS issues especially on how it affects youths and the way out. ON MONITORING OF THE ACTIVITIES OF COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS.
DEC’ programme officer visit individual homes, market places, and local schools to find out the impact of DEC community Health workers in these communities it was observed that these health workers organize health education talk in schools, visiting women and men meetings, and youth groups educating them on health issues such as; Personal hygiene, prevention and control of malaria, diarrhea.
More than 1,000 mothers and their children, men, and school children had benefitted from Health talks carried out by 20 Heath workers in these communities thereby making desired change in the people’s health habits.
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS IN DEC COMMUNITY HEALTH EDUCATION AND PROMOTION.
On provision of quality Health care in rural communities through DEC mobile clinic had been able to reach 25 communities as of this period (six months).
The average number of adult patients and school children de-wormed in each community is 100 in 2007. However, the number of patients increased to 200 per community since August 2008 due to awareness creation of DEC activities in the areas. Since then, number so far reached is 3000 men, women and school children in the current fifteen communities AWARENESS BUILDING PROGRAM AND CAMPAIGN ON HIV/AIDS SCOURGE.
In the past six months15 communities had been reached. During the Inauguration and launching of the youth vanguards in the 15 new communities, more than 500 men, women and youths usually turned-up at this launching in the various communities. Hence reaching out to at least 7,500 persons in these communities, the programme have been launched
since August 2008 to January 2009. People living with HIV/AIDS identified due to the impact of this programme as at January 2009 is 100 and they are getting the required drugs free of charge through DEC’s connection and they are doing well.
