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By: Lonjezo Idrissa
A local NGO, Creative Center for Community Mobilization (CRECCOM) have partnered with 8 community radio stations around Malawi to ensure that Nutrition and COVID-19 related messages are disseminated to different groups of people in hard to reach areas through its CDC Health Services project funded by UNICEF.
CRECCOM Program Manager, Linice Sanga said the campaign is due to lack of enough knowledge on Nutrition by many mothers and low uptake of the vaccine in most of the hard to reach areas in the districts.
“Research has shown that 37% of children in Malawi are stunted and only 8% meet minimum dietary standards – resulting in delayed motor development, impaired cognitive functions & learning challenges”
“We have also noted that very few people have received COVID-19 vaccine in rural areas, especially those in hard to reach areas” said Sanga.
Sanga said that the aim of the project is to address existing gaps in the health system with an emphasis on Communication for Development (C4D) & strengthening coordination at local government level.
Chikwawa district Health Promotion Officer, Peter Nasoni, said the campaign will help to ministry of health in achieving the goal of reaching out to millions of people around Malawi with health rated information, and that many people uses radio as their main source of information.
The project is being implemented in Nsanje, Mwanza, Chikwawa, Blantyre, Lilongwe, Karonga, Mzimba, Mzuzu and Khotakota districts.
CRECCOM has partnered with Tuntufye Community Radio in Karonga, Radio Tigabane in Mzimba, Voice of Livingstonia Radio in Mzuzu, Chulundu FM in Nkhata Bay, Maziko FM in Lilongwe, Ndirande FM in Blantyre, Chibvomelezi FM in Chikwawa, and Gaka FM in Nsanje.
