CCAM & CAMAM on an anti-malaria offensive in Bamenda
27 November 2008
30 journalists schooled for 2 days on malaria communication and advocacy skills
By Akere-Maimo with contributions fromMary Lum A. Nkwenty, CRTV Bamenda
Some 30 journalists drawn from the North West, South West, West and Littoral regions converged in Bamenda recently to be trained on Malaria Advocacy. The two-day training that ran from 17-18 November 2008 was organised by the Cameroon Coalition Against Malaria (CCAM) and Cameroon Media Against Malaria (CAMAM). Dr Esther Tallah of CCAM and Dr Kwake Simon of the North West Malaria Control Unit were the resource persons, while the CAMAM chair, Wain Paul Ngam was the main coordinator.
The trainees most of whom are CAMAM members acquired basic skills on how to disseminate effective information on malaria and become full-fledged “soldiers” to champion the malaria onslaught in their various provincial chapters.
Participants on the last day of the presentations listened on the impact of malaria transmission, the cycle of malaria, malaria prevention, the use of insecticide-treated bed nets, and community management among others by Dr Esther Tallah. On the other hand, Dr Kwake addressed government policies as far as malaria control in concerned.
All these discussions were followed by a Question & Answer session alongside interviews that filled the airwaves of some media houses and made headline news in newspapers in Bamenda. One of such media is the Foundation Radio that took Dr Esther Tallah live on the night of the day 2 of the seminar. Mary Lum Asonga also granted her an elaborated interview for her health programme that comes up every week.
The Bamenda training was great success as journalists left with some key messages. The need for people to sleep under insecticide-treated mosquito nets every night; the effective use of ACTs for the treatment of simple malaria within 24 hours of the first symptom; the need for pregnant women to go to antenatal clinic so as to be given intermittent malaria preventive treatment at the right time; the need to ensure that breeding ground for mosquito and dirty surroundings are destroyed or changed every day or that water in flower jars are covered.
Among other issues to be addressed was the development of a CAMAM proposal for funding. Workshop participants brainstormed and identified what CAMAM will like to achieve as objective(s) within a set timeframe, identify activities and expected results. At the end of day 1, three workgroups were put in place after which visits were made to Abakwa FM, CRTV, Provincial Unit of Malaria Control and Government Delegate accompanied with feedback from the field visit.
