Association for Applied Health Education And Development

The Metro Health Club: Grassroots Action for Improved Community Health in the Western Cape

For the past four years Africa AHEAD has been trying to introduce the concept of the Community Health Club Methodology into the informal settlements of the Western Cape. This has presented quite a challenge and it was open to debate whether the CHC approach, so effective in the rural areas, could really have the same appeal in the squatter camps of the Mother City, where there is little community cohesion, and where alienation of marginalized communities and political infighting by gate keepers has undermined so much development.

In 2005 the CHC idea was introduced into Khayelitsha through the University of Western Cape who sponsored a workshop facilitated by Africa AHEAD, where the first 25 facilitators were trained. The training was poorly received by existing stakeholders, and only one facilitator managed to establish a CHC the first time round which did at least demonstrate that a health club could work with the right facilitator.

Later that year working with Africa AHEAD, Hygiene Promotion Partnership, a research wing of BYU University adopted many of the concepts of the Community Health Club approach to start over 75 health clusters (groups of ten families) in the informal settlements of Du Noon, Phillippi Sweet Home and Kwa Five.

In 2007, the City Health Department  sponsored Africa AHEAD in the development of training materials to scale up the CHC training, and with the new Tool kit of visual aids and the manual,  two workshops have been held in the past two years, with another 50 participants trained in the CHC Approach. City Health Department has been working hard to integrate all development in the informal settlements through CHCs but with over 240 informal settlements this is a real challenge. Ngcwele Dyani was appointed as liason between the CHCs and Health Department and in June 2009, a large graduation ceremony was held for the CHCs in Phillipi. Mr. Armien Petersen of Environmental Health in City of Cape Town Health Department  was amazed by the response, as it has shown that Health Clubs are as attractive to women in town, who just like their counterparts in the villages love to come together for self improvement. It is also clear that although the CHCs are well received in informal settlements, to make any impact on preventing diseases like diarrhea there has to be a thicker diffusion of health clubs throughout every informal settlement.

There are now 120 active Community Health Clubs in the Western Cape and in July 2009, they formed an umbrella group to coordinate their activities. The Metro Health Club is the ideal mechanism for replication as it has been started by CHC leaders themselves, and is a genuine bottom up initiative. The executive board gave us a vision  with great enthusiasm of how  MHC plans to expand the activities of the health clubs through an holistic approach. Currently drafting their constitution in order to get registered, the MHC will focus on coordinating all CHCs in five different fields: Water and Sanitation, Health, Special Projects, Education, Recruitment, Finance. Each health club will have a representative for each field and these will meet regularly to facilitate development initiatives throughout the informal settlements, acting as grass roots instruments for change within their community. The MHC is encouraging those living in the informal settlements to take ownership of their problems and like the ethos of the CHCs the main focus is to stimulate self-help. The Metro Health Club is the best proof yet of the viability of the Community Health Club approach, as a vehicle of change in informal settlements, to uplift communities using health promotion to galvanise the energy of women.

Since the creation of Metro Health Club, the City of Cape Town and the Health Clubs have embarked on a truly special and beneficial relationship.  The City has created a database of all the CHC members, to use for employment for city projects involving water, health, sanitation, and hygiene.  As all CHC members have a basic training in these subjects, this allows the City a quick and easy way to find knowledgable and reliable employees, while offering much needed employment opportunities for CHC members.

Metro Health Club held its first event on National Hand Washing Day, 15 October 2009, where the health clubs gathered to promote hand washing with soap in the informal settlements of Cape Town.

Africa AHEAD has pledged to support the Metro Health Club, to enable more training and skills development in the 120 CHCs of the Western Cape.

For more information, please contact info@africaahead.com

March 5th, 2010 | Tags: Community Health, Health Clubs, Hygiene Promotion, Informal Settlements, SOUTH AFRICA, Water And Sanitation | Category: Community Health Clubs, Countries, SOUTH AFRICA, Western Cape | Leave a comment

January 2010

In 2005 the CHC idea was introduced into Khayelitsha through the University of Western Cape who sponsored a workshop facilitated by Africa AHEAD, where the first 25 facilitators were trained. Later that year working with Africa AHEAD, Hygiene Promotion Partnership, a research wing of BYU University adopted many of the concepts of the Community Health Club approach to start over 75 health clusters (groups of ten families) in the informal settlements of Du Noon, Phillippi Sweet Home and Kwa Five. The main trainers in this project were Charlotte Adams and Joyce Ntombomzi , who have been leading lights since then working voluntarily to support Community Health Clubs in their own areas.

Charlotte Adams, head of mobilisation for Imbasa Community Resources

In late 2009, Adams and Ntombomzi joined forces with two other women (Nokwezi and Nozuko Nxasana) previously trained in the AHEAD Methodology to form the non-profit organisation, Imbasa Community Resources. Like Africa AHEAD, Imbasa has a vision of holistic, sustainable community development through health promotion and encouraging an ethos of self-help amongst the community.  They hope to achieve this vision by working with existing Community Health Clubs, as well as creating new clubs in interested areas. The organisation has four areas of focus: mobilisation (Charlotte), education and training (Joyce), water and sanitation (Nokwezi) and skills development (Nozuko). Imbasa has a variety of projects planned for 2010, including creche work in Du Noon, meeting with vendors to educate on proper food hygiene practices, and linking community health clubs with their local health inspectors to address water.  They also hope to open dialogue between South Africans and their neighbours from other African countries, to begin to create better relations between the different nationalities, in light of 2009’s xenophobic attacks.

Joyce, a tireless Community Worker, is now helping to promote hygiene education and training through Imbasa Community Resources

Africa AHEAD is excited to announce that they will be partnering with Imbasa Community Resources to implement a new Community Health Club project in the Western Cape, starting in February 2010.  This project will see the creation of health clubs in informal settlements new to the AHEAD methodology (Vrygrond, Masiphumelele, and Redhills), as well as expansion in areas with existing health clubs (Philippi and Mitchell’s Plain) (read more).

For more information on Imbasa Community Resources, please contact Joyce from Imbasa or info@africaahead.com

January 25th, 2010 | Tags: Cape Town, Community Cohesion, Community Health, Gate Keepers, Health Clubs, Health Promotion, Hygiene Promotion, Imbasa Community Resources, Informal Settlements, Khayelitsha, Marginalized Communities, Political Infighting, Social Capital, SOUTH AFRICA, Squatter Camps, Sustainable Community Development, University Of Western Cape, Water And Sanitation, Women | Category: Associates, Countries, SOUTH AFRICA, Western Cape | Leave a comment

COMMUNITY HEALTH CLUBS TO BE STARTED IN VIETNAM

In response to a strong request by the Ministry of Health, Danida agreed to sponsor the introduction of the Community Health Club (CHC) Approach, and the originator of the methodology, Dr. J. Waterkeyn (JW) was invited  to provide training and mentor local consultants so that  a pilot project could beset up to test its effectiveness.  The consultant was engaged for a preliminary assignment to review progress to date and to assist in providing sound training material so that the approach could be scaled up.

The Provinces chosen for the Pilot Project were Son La, PhuTho, Ha Tinh and Ninh Thuan.  Twelve villages in each Province will start CHCs making a total of 48 CHCs if each facilitator runs one club, although it would be hoped that they could manage two or three clubs depending on the size of the area, distance between homes and availability of transport and incentives to participate.  It is expected that each facilitator will aim for a CHC of 100 members, and if this is multiplied by the number in the households who will benefit from improved hygiene, it can be estimated that the programme will serve a minimum of 2,400 people, or twice that if each facilitator runs two clubs.

The Pilot project will be integrated into existing structures such as the Women’s Union, although it should be appreciated that CHC’s embrace the whole community, not just women, as men are as important as women when it comes to disease transmission., and the CHC provides a forum for open debate on subjects that my otherwise be taboo or ignored.

The CHC will also try to mould the training so that it results in outputs that will enable families to be recognised as Cultural Families, and for CHC Villages to have the honour of Cultural Villages. Thus the graduation which will reward those who have completed 24 topics, may also include the Cultural Family awards. It is expected that local dignitaries and village leaders will avail themselves and support those who attain this level of hygiene and that the Graduation will become a day of celebration that can be an ongoing reminder to maintain good hygiene standards.

It is expected that the training will begin in December and be completed by July 2010. However before this time it would be ideal if a second Stage of the Training were planned to enable all the criteria for a Cultural Family to be met. The 1^st Stage focuses on water and sanitation, and home  hygiene, and aims to prevent common diseases such as diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera, helminthes, skin and eye disease, ARI’s as well as Swine flu, Avian Fly and Malaria. The 2^nd stage should ensure that nutrition, child care, immunisation, good parenting, substance abuse and other social issues are addressed in a complete Tool Kit which will build on the knowledge gained in Stage 1.

January 20th, 2010 | Tags: Asia, Community Health, Danida, Diarrhoeal Diseases, Disease Transmission, Facilitator, Health Clubs, Health Department, Hygiene Behaviour & Practices, Hygiene Promotion, Ministry Of Health, Rural Areas, Training Materials, Vietnam | Category: Community Health Clubs, VIETNAM | Leave a comment

This poster is a visual summary of the Danida funded IWRM project in South Africa, where 10 CHCs achieved high levels of behaviour change within an 8 month period.

2009.KZN poster.pdf

January 20th, 2010 | Tags: Baseline Data, Behaviour Change, Case Study, Community Health, Danida, Diarrhoeal Diseases, DWAF, Hand Washing, Hygiene Promotion, Integrated Water Resource Management, KwaZulu-Natal, Poster, SOUTH AFRICA, Water And Sanitation, Water Storage, Women | Category: Download PDFs, Health Promotion, Hygiene, KwaZulu-Natal, SOUTH AFRICA | Leave a comment

A short summary of hygiene behaviour change in Zimbabwe, updating from the ground breaking early projects in 2001 in Tsholtsho, to recent projects in Chipinge where similat levels of change are being recorded. It points a way forward as to how the MDGs can be achieved by scaling up the CHC approach as is being done in Rwanda and Vietnam  where the model is being institutionalised within the Ministry of Health.

Zimbabe Chipinge Case Study

January 20th, 2010 | Tags: Baseline Data, Behaviour Change, Case Study, Community Health, Diarrhoeal Diseases, Health Clubs, Health Promotion, Hygiene Behaviour, Hygiene Behaviour & Practices, Hygiene Promotion, Mercy Corps, Ministry Of Health, RWANDA, Training Materials, Vietnam, Water And Sanitation, Women, ZIMBABWE | Category: Download PDFs, Health Promotion, ZIMBABWE, ZIMBABWE AHEAD | Leave a comment

READ THE LATEST NEWS FROM SOUTH AFRICA – (click here)

PROJECTS UNDERTAKEN IN SOUTH AFRICA

1. Development of generic CHC Training manual and extensive PHAST Tool Kit for Informal Settlements (City Health Department- Danida)

2. Training for City Health Department of facilitators to start CHCs in Informal Settlements near Cape Town

3. Support to Hygiene Promotion Partnership for base line survey to ascertain level of hygiene behaviour change in 4 informal settlements

4. Feasibility study for Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM)to start CHCs in 3 water catchment areas in South Africa ( DWAF-Danida)

5. Planning and implementation of a comprehensive CHC programme in the rural areas of Kwa Zulu Natal for DWAF-IWRM (See Map: A)

6. Training of 25 Sangoco facilitators to start CHCs in North West province (Sangoco NGOs- DWAF-Danida) (See Map: B)

7. Training of Water and Sanitation Forum facilitators to start health clubs in Khayelitsha (for University of Western Cape)

8. Planning and implementation of a pilot CHC project in eThikweni (Durban) informal settlement

1.PHAST Manual and Tool Kit to enable scaling up of training

In 2008 Africa AHEAD, in conjunction with the City Health Department, developed and published a dedicated manual

Community Health Clubs in Informal Settlements: A training manual for community workers using participatory activities. Developed by J. Waterkeyn for City of Cape Town Health Department. Funded by Danida. Illustration by Itayi Njagu.

This manual comes with a comprehensive PHAST Tool Kit for informal Settlements consisting of 13 essential topics related to home hygiene.

The training comprises of three Modules:

Module 1: Feasibility: the Rationale for the Community Health Club Approach

A one day training for Managers and decision makers to enable them to visualise and understand the reason for ‘doind development’ through Community Health Clubs)

Module 2: Planning: How to start a Community Health Club Project:

A three day training for middle management and supervisors as well as the facilitators of the CHCs.

Module 3: PHAST Participatory Activities for Informal Settlements

A six day training for facilitators only to enable them to use all the PHAST toools and carry out 24 training sessions with community Health cubs

Please contact juliet@africaahead.com for more information if you are interested in this training.

2. City Health Department Pilot Community Health Clubs in the Cape Flats

2008. Belleville Cape Town: the first CHC facilitators to be trained

The first batch of trainees were passed after a six day workshop in March 2008, and are expected each to start one health club. Although the xenophobic riot of 2008 affected the start up of health clubs in many areas there is at least one success story in Phillippi. There are over 200 members in three health clubs and their training is providing an inspiration to replicate the project in other areas. In the near future all the CHCs will be assessed by Africa AHEAD with a view to learning lessons as to how the health clubs are being received in the Cape Flats. It appears that there have been several challenges including the difficulty of the members to meet during the xenophobic unrest that swept the informal settlements in South Africa last year. there are also concerns as to how the health club facilitators were supported and if there was enough supervision by Environmental health Personel to ensure that the sessions were heald as planned in the workshop.

Another training is to due to be hele in April / May supported by the Health Department , when the next intake of community members will be trained by Africa AHEAD to start Community Health Clubs in different areas.

3. Feasibility Study for Integrated Water Resource Management

In 2000, the South African Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF), with the assistance of the Royal Danish Government (DANIDA), initiated a program to pilot Integrated Water Resource and Management (IWRM) approaches in three Water Management Areas (WMA) of South Africa: the Olifants-Doorn (Western Cape Province), the Crocodile-Marico (North West Province), and the Mzimkhulu-Mvoti (Kwa-Zulu Natal Province). These WMAs were selected as they represent a cross-section of water resources conditions as well as water use conditions and user interests. Phase 2 of this project, which focuses more on direct support and partnerships at local, regional and national levels, was begun in 2006 and is set to last until 2010. For more information about IWRM activities in South Africa, please visit www.iwrm.co.za.

The CHC Approach will contribute to the goals of IWRM by building a strong foundation of knowledge, cooperation and behavior change in each of the targeted communities. This foundation will then be used to successfully implement a variety of projects such as rain water harvesting, nutrition gardening, income generation, HIV/AIDS case management, and improved management of sanitation facilities.

In May 2008, Africa AHEAD was invited to assess the feasibility of piloting Community Health Clubs (CHC) in targeted areas within the three WMAs. Between May and September 2008, stakeholders were engaged, situational analyses and site visits were conducted, and project proposals and plans were submitted.

4. Community Health Club Pilot Project in Umzimkhulu: Kwa Zulu Natal

Participants in a Health Club Training Workshop in Umzimkhulu - Jan 2009

The team: Project Officer Moses, Council Representative Tabiso and Jason Project Manager for Africa AHEAD in Umzimkhulu

Africa AHEAD has been contracted to implement a pilot project in the Mzimkhulu-Mvoti WMA, within the Umzimkhulu Municipality. Umzimkhulu which is located in the foothills of the Southern Drakensberg Mountains. Until recently Umzimkhulu was a part of the Eastern Cape Province, and as a result the levels of development in this district are far below the standards found in the rest of the Kwa Zulu Natal. According to the Municipality’s 2008 Integrated Development Plan, 40.2% of the population has access to piped water sources, with the remainder using unprotected sources such as rivers, streams and springs. In addition, while 92.9% of households reportedly have access to sanitation facilities, the majority of these facilities are neither safe nor hygienic. This low level of development is ideal territory to start a community health club programme as past research has shown.

The project in Umzimkhulu began to take shape from Septemeber 2008, as the Municipal Council approved the implementation of CHCs in all 18 Wards, a Project Steering Committee was constituted, the sites for implementation were selected and Africa AHEAD welcomed its newest team member, Mr. Moses Mncwabe, Project Officer for the Umzimkhulu project. The site selection process was a competitive one, with interested Ward Councilors submitting an application form indicating the communities they wanted to participate and the names of potential facilitators to be trained by Africa AHEAD. 10 Councilors who submitted applications, to join the programme and the Project Steering Committee selected one community and facilitators from each ward. Community Health Clubs have now formed up and facilitators have been trained in base line research. the base line survey was completed in January 2009, and the PHAST training is to be started in mid February, and continue every second week. Facilitators will then rely the training back to their ward where their health clubs will meet every week. The training will be complete with six months, by the end of August 2009.

5. Replicating through local NGOs: North West Province

Africa AHEAD is working closely with the South African National Non-Governmental Organization Coalition (SANGOCO) to start up CHCs through training the staff of existing local NGO’s in the North West Province and Gauteng. Unlike other projects which are implemented directly by Africa AHEAD, the input in this project is merely to train and mentor the staff of 3 local NGO’s, who will then manage the implementation and activities of CHCs in their catchment areas. While most of the CHCs in this WMA will be formed in communities in and around Mafikeng and Zeerust (North West Province), there is one Community Based Organization in Majaneng (Gauteng Province), near Hammanskraal, that will also be implementing CHCs.

NORTH WEST PROVINCE: Africa AHEAD will be collaborating with SANGOCO and two NGO’s based in the North West Province to implement CHCs, Tlhoafalo Advice Center and Lethabo Water and Sanitation. Each NGO will have between 7-9 staff trained in the CHC Approach by Africa AHEAD and will develop CHCs in 5-6 communities.

GAUTENG PROVINCE: Majaneng is a small rural settlement located on the border of the Gauteng and North West Provinces. In this area, Africa AHEAD will again be collaborating with SANGOCO and one local Community Based Organization, the Kekanastad Traditional Mothers Organization (KETRAMODEO). Africa AHEAD will train 5 members of this organization who will then develop CHCs in 5 sub-areas of Majaneng.

A three day training workshop was held from 11th-13th August 2008, on Module 2: How to start up Community Health Clubs. At this training the NGO staff were given activities to help map and analyse the areas to prioritise within their areas of operation. They were also trained to carry out a base line survey of 100 household in the selected area. This was done through the innovative method of using ordinary cells phones to capture data in the field. (See Publications, Rosenfeld and Waterken, 2008). The data is then automatically collated and preliminary result have been collected and a report issued by Africa AHEAD who are to process the data and provide on going support to enable any behaviour change to be measured effectively. The CHCs have now been formed up, the base line data collected and facilitators from the NGOs are now waiting for the next phase of the training which is being delayed by funding constraints. Local NGO are begging to start the next training as their communities have been mobilised and are loosing interest with such delay.

6. Hygiene Promotion Partnership Research

Brigham Young University, (on behalf of Rickett Benkisser) started a research programme in four informal settlements to establish whether the use of antiseptic cleaning material in home could reduce diarrhoea in low income homes. In order to conduct this research an intervention was planned to monitor 140 clusters in four informal settlements: Phillipi, Du Noon, Kwa 5, and Sweet Home. The model was that each of the 65 facilitators would hold weekly sessions in a cluster of ten homes. As the strategy was very similar to the CHC approach, Africa AHEAD was called on to help develop the training materials for the modules which were prepared by HPP. The beneficiaries of the programme were able to assist in the development of the PHAST Tool Kit and HPP supported the development of the illustrations, and HPP trainers were trained by Africa AHEAD to use the materials. Although this programme has now been completed, many clusters have become viable grass roots groups and anecdotal evidence is strong that they have improved in their home hygiene practices.

Participants learn how to make a squezzy bottle: a practical solution to handwashing outside informal shacks

New Research Findings on Behaviour Change

PUBLICATION:

Comprehensive Family Hygiene Promotion in Peri-urban Cape Town: Gastrointestinal and Skin Disease Reduction in Children Under Five. Cole, E, Hawkley, et al. Brigham Young University.

‘Community based PLA proved to be a powerful approach for reducing illness through supporting families in the adoption of new hygiene practices and in mobilising the communities for health and social change.

Achievements of facilitators and study participants included the health and hygiene situation in households and neighborhoods, setting up of hand-washing stations, teaching children and neighbors correct hand washing methods, instituting child safety practices, influencing vendors to practice hygienic food preparations, managing communal toilet and rubbish pick ups and determining how to link health to local economic development.’

Reduction in disease
Findings from this paper indicate that Skin infections were reduced by 39.1% in formal housing but interestingly not in informal housing.

Gastroinstestinal infections were reduced by 14% in formal housing and by 11% in informal housing.

7. University of the Western Cape – Khayelitsha Sanitation Forum

The concept of Community Health Clubs was first floated in South Africa in 2005, supported by the University of the Western Cape, in a pilot project in Khayelitsha, one of the most challenging informal settlements in the Cape Flats. 25 Facilitators were nominated by the Khayelitsha Sanitation Forum, and training was provided by Africa AHEAD. Due to insufficient support most of the health clubs never took off, but one determined facilitator has shown that CHCs in informal settlements can play an important role in providing support to the needy.

Saviour Maqaloti : The first facilitator to start a Community Health Club in the Cape Flats

Philisanani Community Health Club

One of the facilitators, Saviour ran with the idea and mobilised a huge following of over one hundred members. trained the group over the next six months and Africa AHEAD was delighted to be able to provide certificates for the 25 core members who had completed every session. Some of the group have become voluntary clinical assistants, while another has started a play school and yet another has a voluntary service assisting the pensioners access their pensions and ensure they are properly cared for. The group has become a registered CBO called Philisanani and has recently secured government funding for a second training in home hygiene for which Africa AHEAD is providing certification.

January 18th, 2010 | Tags: Africa Development, Baseline Data, Behaviour Change, City Health Department, Community Health, Danida, Diarrhoeal Diseases, Durban, DWAF, Feasibility Study, Home Hygiene, Hygiene Behaviour, Hygiene Promotion, Informal Settlement, Informal Settlements, Integrated Water Resource Management, KwaZulu-Natal, North West Province, Participatory Activities, Pilot Projects, Sangoco, SOUTH AFRICA, University Of Western Cape, Water And Sanitation, Water Resource Management, Women | Category: Countries, KwaZulu-Natal, SOUTH AFRICA | Leave a comment

Sidibe, M. & Curtis, V. (2002). Hygiene promotion in Burkina Faso and Zimbabwe: New approaches to behaviour change. Blue-Gold Field Note, Water and Sanitation Program (WSP)-Africa Region, World Bank.

Summary: After years of debate, most people working in water and sanitation now agree that hygiene promotion is vitally important. But even now, many programmes and projects either ignore it or do it badly. This Field Note describes two African hygiene promotion programmes that have successfully used new approaches: Programme Saniya in Burkina Faso, and ZimAHEAD in Zimbabwe. They both concentrated on understanding how people actually behave and hence how to change that behaviour, and they both demonstrated ideas that can be applied at a larger scale. Changing human hygiene behaviour is a long process that is difficult to measure, and both of these programmes still have obstacles to overcome. However, this work indicates that systematic and carefully managed hygiene promotion programmes can achieve improvements in hygiene behaviour and hence reduction in diarrhoeal diseases.

For full article in pdf, click here: Hygiene Promotion in Burkina Faso and Zimbabwe: New Approaches to Behaviour Change

February 17th, 2008 | Tags: Burkina Faso, Diarrhoeal Diseases, Hygiene Behaviour & Practices, Hygiene Promotion, Water And Sanitation, World Bank, ZIMBABWE | Category: Hygiene, ZIMBABWE, ZIMBABWE AHEAD | Leave a comment

Waterkeyn, A. (2005). Hygiene & sanitation strategies in Uganda: How to achieve sustainable behaviour change? Kampala, 31st WEDC Conference.

Abstract: Breaking the faecal:oral disease transmission route is a vital first step towards overcoming preventable disease and, ultimately, poverty. Simple knowledge transfer, whatever methodology is employed, does not automatically result in changed or improved behaviour. There is growing consensus that to achieve behaviour change in hygiene and sanitation practices communities, both rural and high-density peri-urban, need to be supported in ways that will stimulate social cohesion and result in group decisions being taken. Such cohesion and the building of social capital can ensure that peer pressure comes to bear and poor hygiene practices can thus be challenged. This paper considers several approaches to Hygiene Promotion and Sanitation that are currently receiving attention. It attempts to tease out some of the common threads that appear to be stimulating social cohesion and peer pressure towards achieving behaviour change that will be sustained and also considers the current hopeful situation in Uganda.

For full article in pdf, click here: Hygiene and Sanitation Strategies in Uganda: How to Achieve Sustainable Behavior Change

January 7th, 2008 | Tags: Hygiene Promotion, Rural Areas, Social Capital, WEDC Conference | Category: Hygiene, Sanitation, UGANDA | Leave a comment

Effective Interventions  (E.I) is a UK based Foundation formed to provide case studies of how to lower Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) in developing countries. Currently, two major research programmes are being conducted in India and Guinea Bissau. The latter was chosen as it is one of the poorest countries in Africa with an estimated 300 infant deaths per 1000 births according to local research institute Bandim. In 2006, Africa AHEAD was asked to assist in starting up a large Community Health Club programme in two districts of Guinea Bisau, Tombali and Quinara. This involves approximately 200,000 people with the aim to reduce IMR by at least 25% within two years. The two pronged intervention consists of hygiene promotion through Community Health Clubs, with six months of health and hygiene training for health club members and improving antenatal care in health posts and training for birth attendants and village health workers.

Rigorous pre-intervention research has been undertaken. A base line survey of 120 clusters of 400 people per cluster was conducted to provide a current health profile of the population. The intervention was likely to start in July 2007.  Up to 80 Community Health Clubs are to be be started involving approximately 100 members in each health club. Culture specific visual aids are currently being drawn specifically for the programme so that participatory health sessions can be conducted. The intervention will continue for at least two years after which there will be a post intervention survey and published results. Linked to top statisticians at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the London School of Economics, in conjunction with the Ministry of Health of Guinea Bissau, this research aspires to become a seminal work in the field of behaviour change within the Public Health Promotion Sector.

Health Clubs to Start in Guinea Bissau

January 6th, 2008 | Tags: Behaviour Change, Guinea Bisau, GUINEA BISSAU, Health And Hygiene, Hygiene Promotion, Infant Mortality Rate, Intervention Research, Line Survey, London School Of Economics, London School Of Hygiene And Tropical Medicine, Village Health, Visual Aids | Category: Associates, EI | Leave a comment