Chairperson for Ching’ambo Mother Caregivers Simwanza has asked for more trainings from stakeholders for the group to effectively promote antenatal patronage and vaccine uptake among under-5 children in Mzimba North.
She made the remarks at Ching’ambo in Mzuzu on the sidelines of a refresher training which Malawi Health Equity Network (Mhen) organized for the group.
She said trainings are critical for the group to achieve its role of reducing the population of unvaccinated children.
“We had our first and only training in 2019. We are thankful for today’s refresher training which has imparted us with skills to improve our capacity,” Simwanza said.
She further asked for provision of resources to help in operations of duties in various areas.
“We don’t have resources like uniform hence failing to work in a manner that people would trust us. Some people do not recognize us,” she said.
Nonetheless, Simwanza promised to ensure that no Under-5 child is left unvaccinated and that pregnant mothers go for regular prenatal check-ups.
Zolozolo East Ward senior block leader Gracium Maona agreed with Simwanza saying empowering women by providing the with resources would see the group’s objectives being fulfilled.
“I am happy that Malawi Health Equity Network has conducted a first refresher training with Ching’ambo Mother Caregivers since 2019. These caregivers need to be trained frequently so that when they go into communities they should serve people with the required information,” said Maona.
He commended the women saying a healthy community results in a productive country because people are free from disease.
He also called for coordination among the Mother Caregivers and the block leaders for the intervention to produce the required results.
Monitoring and Evaluation Officer for Mhen, Florence Khonyongwa, said Mother Care Groups have played an important role in raising awareness about on polio and Measles vaccinations.
“They were last trained in 2019 so we thought of reminding them their work considering they have gone three years without any training. We believe that they will continue promoting health issues in this area,” she said.
She said Ching’ambo is one of 281 groups her organization is working with in Mzimba North and that some of them are yet to be given uniforms.
The training is part of Mhen’s six-year Health System and Immunization Strengthening project being implemented in Mzimba North with support from Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation-GAVI
