This issue of The Soul Beat focuses on communication from and for Africa about malaria. If you would like to contribute your own experiences, please contact Anja Venth aventh@comminit.com
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EXPERIENCES
1. Caravan of Life - Angola
Departing from Luanda, this convoy of vehicles transports medicines, mosquito nets, insecticides, computers, communication equipment and advocacy materials in malaria affected areas of Angola. It aims to highlight the importance of malaria prevention and promote the use of impregnated mosquito nets. Traditional groups and drama performances entertain and inform crowds drawn by the caravan.
Contact Southern African Malaria Control murugasampillays@whoafr.org
2. La Santé au bout du fil (Health On Line) - Mali
A collaboration between Population Services International (PSI)/Mali and Ikatel, HIV/AIDS and Malaria prevention text messages are sent twice a month to 350,000 cell phone clients and are being printed on one million pre-paid phone cards. Messages such as: "Anyone can get HIV - everyone can prevent it" and "Protect your family against malaria - use an insecticide-treated mosquito net" are part of the campaigns aim to raise awareness and promote PSI's Protector brand condoms, BLOC insecticide re-treatment kits, and Super Moustiquaire Famille Protégée nets.
Contact PSI/Mali psimali@psimali.org
3. Malaria Dialogue Education - West Africa
Implemented in Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, and Togo, a community-based education plan was designed to engage primary caregivers in a dialogue about how to prevent and treat malaria. The curriculum aims to improve prevention, early detection, and home-based treatment of malaria and to stimulate demand for better services from local providers by creating better-informed health care consumers.
Contact Freedom from Hunger info@freefromhunger.org
4. Malaria Red Reference - Southern Africa
A project of the World Health Organization (WHO) that aims to improve health workers' access to malaria information. A Malaria Resource Centre is based in the University of Zimbabwes Medical School Library. As well the Malaria Red Trunk is a collection of over 60 books, manuals and other texts on malaria, and the Malaria Red File is a compilation of basic information on malaria for health professionals. Electronic access to malaria information is encouraged through email and Internet facilities, use of CD-ROMs, and a website.
Contact Helga Patrikios patrikios@healthnet.zw OR rootg@who.co.zw
5. Malaria Knowledge Programme: Gender Perspectives - Ghana
In the Volta Region of Ghana, the Malaria Knowledge Programme team trained district level health workers to carry out qualitative and participatory research on gender equity aspects to health care for malaria. Participatory and qualitative research techniques such as PRA, informal interviewing, role-play and drama were used to gather information about womens and mens access to healthcare for malaria. As well, district level workers and communities jointly planned activities such as improving financial access to health care and providing community education on the treatment of malaria.
Contact Rachel Tolhurst r.j.tolhurst@liv.ac.uk OR Alison Dunn mkp@healthlink.org.uk
See also:
Malaria and the Media - Sub-Saharan Africa
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Do you have evaluations or impact data about your communication strategies? Soul Beat Africa aims to provide communicators with a space to share information for better understanding of the impact of communication. We would appreciate your submissions for inclusion in the database. Please contact Anja Venth aventh@comminit.com
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STRATEGIC THINKING
6. Home Management of Malaria in Under Fives and Pregnancy in Uganda
The DISH II Project conducted formative research for improving understanding in the knowledge, practices, attitudes, fears and beliefs (KAPBF) about home management of malaria in children under five and pregnant women. The research was conducted to provide in-depth knowledge for designing a communication strategy. The formative research had two components, a literature review and qualitative research.
7. Working Toward Greater Equity in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis
Statement by participants in November 2001 at a Bellagio workshop. "The growing efforts to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis have the potential to bring major benefits to the disadvantaged, as well as produce an important reduction in overall disease burden. However, realizing this potential and securing better health among less favored populations will require a determined effort. There is need both to modify the inequitable patterns of disease risks and consequences and to pursue aggressively a more equitable distribution of benefits from programs dealing with HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis."
8. Bringing Down Mosquito Fever: How NGOs Promote Home-Based Treatment of Malarial Fever in Uganda
"This document is the result of a 14-day qualitative methods and "field story" writing workshop sponsored by Malaria and Childhood Illness NGO Secretariat (MACIS) in May 2004. Workshop participants sought to answer a number of questions surrounding home-based treatment of malarial fever that are not routinely documented by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or academic journals."
EVENTS and TRAINING
9. Malaria Prevention, Control and Management - Mar 21-25 2005 - Nairobi, Kenya
The purpose of this course is to provide participants with an update on malaria prevention, control and management. Participants will be introduced to practical approaches, which have been used in malaria prevention as well as current treatment practices for those who have already contracted the disease.
10. Improving Quality of Care: Malaria Update Short Course - May 30-June 10 2005 - Entebbe, Uganda
This course is designed to provide knowledge and skills to enable operational personnel to appreciate different interventions for different situations of malaria control. The goals for this course are to: orient participants to current global malaria prevention and control strategies; provide participants with knowledge and skills to institute a process of continuous improvement of quality of services; increase knowledge and skills to monitor and evaluate interventions.
11. The Fifth Roll Back Malaria Global Partners' Forum - Nov 18-19 2005 - Yaoundé, Cameroon
The forum brings together representatives of RBM Partnership constituencies to share knowledge and experience, review the RBM Partnership's progress in the fight against malaria, and adopt the RBM Partnership's Global Strategic Plan 2005-2015. The Forum's programme of events will also include working groups on specific topics such as scaling up of specific malaria-control interventions, managing emergencies and epidemics, global advocacy, and RBM Partnership mechanisms and structures.
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MATERIALS
12. Malaria Control in Schools: Protecting Children and Teachers - Protecting the Next Generation
This leaflet illustrates the role schools can play in preventing malaria and building awareness in the community in Southern Africa. It underlines the need for primary and secondary schools to participate in malaria advocacy and use their roles as institutions to share information and facilitate resource mobilisation. Key elements for the successful implementation of a malaria advocacy programme at school include: malaria information packs, training, malaria education in school syllabi; and having a school health resource person or focal point.
13. Malaria: A Major Cause of Child Death and Poverty in Africa
This publication, which includes case studies and a graphic representation of endemic malaria, outlines the key actions UNICEF, along with its partners, must take to control malaria in Africa. This publication notes UNICEF's commitment to supporting countries in scaling up malaria prevention and control programmes. In addition to technical support, this includes the identification of resource gaps and helping to ensure that these gaps are addressed.
See also:
Malaria During Pregnancy Resource Package
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The Soul Beat seeks to cover the full range of communication for development activities. Inclusion of an item does not imply endorsement or support by The Partners.
Please send material for The Soul Beat to the Editor - Anja Venth aventh@comminit.com
