By Jonathan Hindolo Kurabu
BRAC Sierra Leone in partnership with the Kenema District Health Management Team and the Kenema District COVID 19 Emergency Response Centre has trained 50 Community Health Promoters on COVID 19 awareness.
The 50 participants drawn from Griema-Dama, Lower-Bambara, Small-Bo,Sembaru and Nongowa Chiefdoms in Kenema District was held at the Multi Purpose Hall of the Catholic Technical Vocational Institute, Kenema.
Purpose of the two days training according to the Regional Health Coordinator, BRAC SL, Patrick Massaquoi was geared towards empowering the participants to transmit correct information about Corona virus and to be able to work with Community Health Workers in identifying sick patients, referrals and contact tracing in their respective Chiefdoms.
Umu Hawa Jalloh, Kenema District Health Coordinator BRAC SL, said the training is an ongoing effort to complement the efforts of Government in combating COVID 19 community transmission.
She furthered that prior to now, they have engaged Community stakeholders where the participants were identified adding that they should endeavour to position themselves to help in the fight against the deadly Corona virus disease in the country.
Umu Hawa Jalloh averred that, the participants are expected to help in the distribution of face masks, hand wash Stations, soap and to ensure the donated items are used for their intended purposes.
Social Mobilization Manager, Kenema DICOVERC, Ansumana Benson Quee said aside the global devastation of Corona virus, it has brought a new tradition which the world is grappling with.
He cautioned the participants to be consistent with their massaging adding that they should be informed by existing messages from NACOVERC and DICOVERC.
One of the lead Facilitators, Josephus Cambull urged the participants to raise robust awareness on the use of facemasks, Social Distance, Hand washing and to report sick patients to the nearest Health centres.
Four of the participants interviewed, Ibrahim Moiferay, Brima Abdulai,Mary Bikie and Rebecca Lahai vowed to cascade knowledge gained in their respective Chiefdoms
The training is part of ongoing activities under the Community Health Reach on COVID 19.
BRAC is a Non-Governmental Organization that was founded 49 years ago in Bangladesh and started operations in Sierra Leone in 2008. They have over the past years implemented a lot of programmes in many sectors ranging from Health, Emergency Response preparedness, youth empowerment and gender, agricultural projects and Microfinance with them being the largest micro finance organization in Sierra Leone with over 69,000 beneficiaries.
