The Namibia Anglican Community Development Organisation (NACDO), as part of its Faith Leaders Advocacy for Malaria Elimination (FLAME) project, is hosting a malaria advocacy orientation workshop for religious leaders in Windhoek.
The two-day workshop started Tuesday and is aimed at sharing the national elimination strategy and trickle-down malaria activities at subnational level with faith leaders.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, NACDO Director Stefanus Nangombe said the workshop will discuss the roles and responsibilities of faith-based groups, health workers and communities and encourage them to buy into the malaria elimination agenda, as well as the national malaria elimination advocacy and resource mobilisation plan.
Executive Director in the Ministry of Health and Social Services. Ben Nangombe in his remarks said it is very important that religious leaders meet to discuss means, strategies and plans to eliminate malaria. He said the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the implementation of national flagship programmes despite government adopting policy efforts to ensure that existing programmes and the gains made in their implementation are not reversed due to COVID.
“It is encouraging that stakeholders have come together to discuss the elimination of malaria,” Nangombe said.
The National Malaria Control Programmes, he noted, need to adopt special measures to protect the population rom malaria infection, taking into consideration their specific circumstances.
He outlined Namibia’s most at-risk groups, including mobile communities, cattle herders, travellers, pregnant women, children under five, immune-compromised persons, and those settled in malaria-endemic regions.
Nangombe stated that malaria advocacy as a strategy has been and will be implemented by his ministry and stakeholders such as NACDO, adding that there is no doubt that advocacy can change people’s perception regarding adherence to interventions.
He said it also positively impacts initiatives for policy changes and mobilisation of domestic resources.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
