By Catie Scannell, Global Health Intern, Malaria Partners International
Malaria Partners Uganda (MPU) has been implementing the C2F, child to family, program as an innovative way to address the community health crises posed by malaria. The program is based in elementary schools and particularly targets younger students, as they are most vulnerable to the health risks of malaria.
The program was piloted early this year in the Bugiri district in collaboration with the Hindocha Primary School and the Bugiri Rotary Club. Since initiating the program at the Hindocha Primary School, it has expanded to 2 more schools in the Bugiri District: Nabukalu Primary school (1,514 students) and Bugeso Baptist Primary School (2,026 students), equating to 4,521 students impacted by the C2F program and even more family and community members.
Beyond the Bugiri District, The Rotaract Club of Kampala North (200 students) and the Rotary Club of Iganga (1,959 students split between two schools) have initiated similar programs, increasing the impact to roughly 6,680 students across multiple districts. The rapid expansion of the program is a testament to the program’s initial success and high impact value.
The C2F program empowers young students to become advocates for malaria prevention, treatment and awareness. Through educational modules, students learn the basics of malaria transmission, the application of test strips, the factors that heighten someone’s vulnerability to malaria, and the symptoms. Once educated, these students are able to bring this knowledge back home to their families and community contacts. So far 175 students have been selected as “champions,” granting them the opportunity to cultivate leadership skills as they advocate for malaria management in their community.
The C2F strategy has proved extremely successful in generating community awareness, through the ripple effect of thousands of young students equipped with the knowledge and skills to promote malaria prevention best practices in their homes. The teachers who share this information with the students are also offered the opportunity to be trained on malaria prevention, and so far 24 Community Health Workers (CHWs) have been trained and oriented to particular school initiatives.
Testing students at the elementary schools for malaria is an efficient strategy for identifying what families are most at risk. If a student tests positive for malaria it is highly likely that one or more individuals living in their household are also carrying the disease. Thus, the C2F program allows CHWs to more effectively target their testing efforts towards those who are most in need. As the parasite can be spread from an afflicted individual to a mosquito and then into a healthy individual it is crucial to identify those carrying the disease even if they are asymptomatic.
In addition to the main programs, MPU launched a two day event for World Malaria Day in April in which they tested hundreds of students, trained hundreds of community health workers, and educated teachers. The event encouraged individuals to actively participate in maintaining the health and wellness of their community. It brought together learners, teachers, CHWs, parents, and community members in an effort to cultivate cohesion and unity in the fight against malaria.
Notably, several elementary schools enrolled in the program have created nurseries with antimalarial plants on their respective campuses. Their presence at the elementary schools is intended to lower the risk of students contracting malaria while on school grounds.
We are excited to see how the C2F program expands in the near future and are proud of the significant impact it has made thus far.