Noora Kero, International Federation, in Segou, Mali
Thousands of people are gathered in the Sebenikoro school yard in Bamako, the capital of Mali. Various music groups are performing and school children are standing in line to welcome visitors.
“We have to chase after Malian children and convince their parents to bring them to be vaccinated. This is a way to prepare children for the future, it’s an investment for the whole country,” says Malian President Amadou Toumani Touré as he opens the integrated campaign for improved child survival. Shortly after, he also gives the first dose of oral polio vaccination to a small Malian boy.
Between 13-19 December, all Malian children under five years of age received for free five types of health assistance to improve their chances of survival. During the campaign, children were vaccinated against measles and polio, they received Vitamin A supplements, treatment to kill intestinal worms as well as a long lasting insecticide-treated mosquito net to protect them from malaria.
These diseases are all either curable or preventable. Malaria is the most significant killer of African children under five. Despite progress in reducing the measles burden in recent years it remains one of the top five killers of children, polio disables children at a high rate and cases in Mali continue to rise. Vitamin A aims to strengthen the immune system against infection and deworming helps children grow and prevent anemia.
This is the first time in Mali and the second time in Africa that all five acts take place at the same time. Hence costs are reduced and families save time.
The village of Tamasodaga in Ségou region, 300 kilometres north-east of Bamako, is one of more than two thousand campaign sites. Tamasodaga is situated on the Niger River and it’s one of the smallest sites: here 50 children are vaccinated outside, under a mango tree. A team of two government health workers and three volunteers from the Mali Red Cross Society have arrived on a pirogue bringing the vaccines with them.
“The river runs on both sides of the village so we have a lot of mosquitoes here – and malaria. It takes a lot of time to get to the nearest health centre: first you have to cross the river and then find a bike or a motorbike to get you there,” explains Awa Djenta, a mother of five children.
This is the reason why Awa Djenta often treats her children with local medicinal plants when they are ill. Plants are boiled and then given as a drink or rubbed on the chest and back of children to ease the effects of malaria. The child is taken to the other side of the river to be treated only when he gets seriously sick.
“One of my children is chronically ill. He suffers from dizziness and is sometimes very weak. This makes me very worried,” Awa adds.
In 2006, children were given vitamin A in the village, last year there were no distributions. Awa is happy to bring her daughter Kaja, aged 3, to be vaccinated and to receive other medication. She is also pleased to replace her old cotton mosquito net with a new one that is insecticide-treated.
The campaign is part of a huge effort led by the Malian Ministry of Health and involving two dozen national and international partners including the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The estimated total cost of the campaign is 13-15 million US dollars, of which Mali government has contributed about one million.
The rest is provided by different partners such as the Canadian and United States governments and international organisations. The Malian Ministry of Health has provided ten thousand volunteers and Mali Red Cross Society has trained 2 500 volunteers for the campaign.
“Our volunteers are working in Bamako and in eight other regions during the campaign. Six weeks after the campaign, they will visit houses to educate people on the correct use of mosquito nets. Another round of visits is going to take place during the next rainy season,” explains Nouhoum Maiga, who is in charge of human resources and volunteers at the Mali Red Cross Society.
Vaccinations, vitamin A, albendazole and deworming medication will be provided for free during the entire year in health centres. In addition, vitamin A and albendazole will also be given every six months during the “Week of Intensification of Nutritional Activities”.
In recent years, the Canadian Red Cross has been very active in fighting against malaria in Africa. During the last four years, it has distributed over 4.8 million nets in nine different African countries.
“Before Mali, the last nationwide campaign supported by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies was in Sierra Leone, in 2006, where over 875,000 mosquito nets were distributed. Before the campaign, ten per cent of children under five were sleeping under a net. After the campaign, the figure was 54 per cent, so it makes a huge difference”, says Pat Laberge, Malaria Programme Manager for Canadian Red Cross.
“The campaigns like the one in Mali do reach large numbers of children so they are a good way to increase impact. But the long term objective is still to continue to improve access to local healthcare”, concludes Marcy Erskine, Malaria Advisor at Canadian Red Cross.