In the most remote and hard to reach Chibvala Health Centre in Blantyre, more and more community members are showing up to get vaccination.
This is through a Saving Lives and Livelihood (SLL) Project that Malawi Red Cross Society is implementing with financial and technical support from Africa CDC and the MasterCard Foundation in partnership with the Ministry of Health, AMREF, UNICEF and other stakeholders through International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent –IFRC
MRCS Role is on Social mobilization where MRCS Volunteers are working tirelessly to mobilize people for the service.
Wilson Chikweza is an MRCS Volunteer from Pazuwa Village in Traditional Authority Kasisi in Blantyre. During the door to door approach, Chikweza has been visiting one family which at first was hesitant, but after several visits the family agreed to be vaccinated.
“At first this family was not convinced about COVID 19 Vaccinating, but after some multiple visits they accepted to be vaccinated and start attending integrated clinic. The single visit led to a ripple effect, and more neighboring households followed suit. From one door, the message spread to dozens.” Chikweza shared.
With just two days in a week, MRCS’s 150 volunteers in Blantyre, Lilongwe, Blantyre and Mzimba North reached over 148,266 individuals within first 3 months.
Using the Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) MRCS has managed to reach out to almost 10,451 clients who have been served through integrated outreach services and also Managed to create an overwhelmed demand for health services.
Project coordinator for SLL at Malawi Red Cross Society Francis Liyati said “The experience of of Wilson Chikweza illustrates how one dedicated volunteer can ignite community-wide change. Through trust, persistence, and culturally sensitive communication, MRCS volunteers have proven to be powerful agents of behavioral transformation.”
The project is being implemented in 35 Health Facilities in Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzimba North