30 JANUARY 2020 WORLD NTD DAY CELEBRATION IN NEBBI DISTRICT, UGANDA

 

30 JANUARY 2020 WORLD NTD DAY CELEBRATION IN NEBBI DISTRICT, UGANDA

Celebration of World NTD Day, Nebbi District, Uganda

Neglected Tropical diseases have debilitated people’s lives and impaired development not only at household level but the entire nation at large. NTDs have disabled, disfigured and silently killed innocent poor people both young and adults.

On 30^th January 2020, Alliance Water Solutions (AWASO) in partnership with Nebbi District leadership and RTI International with funding from Crown Prince Court of Abu Dhabi, organized a Community Education Campaign to increase awareness for NTDs with a major focus on Trachoma.

Mobilization activities involved Ministry of Health National Trachoma program leadership, the district political leadership, district health leadership, district education leadership, Subcounty leadership, religious leaders, local council leadership and village health teams in the communities.

Mobilization activities included a community drive, radio announcements, church announcements and community mobilizations through Village health teams and local council leaders. The celebrations took place at OMYER Primary school, Kalowang parish, Nebbi subcounty being one of the areas with high prevalence of trachoma within the subcounty. The education campaign was attended by the district and subcounty political and technical teams as well as the community targeted audience.

The guest of honor was the chairperson L.C.V of Nebbi district local government Mr. Urombi Emmanuel, speeches and messages of trachoma where given to the community from Assistant Commissioner NTDs- Ministry of Health, NTD district focal person, District Secretary for social services, District health officer, Resident District Commissioner, Executive director- Alliance Water Solutions and RTI representative

The community dialogue was chaired by the district NTD focal person, community members raised pertinent issues from fear, ignorance to unknown that gave us ample opportunity to raise critical awareness about Trachoma, especially promoting facial cleanliness, use of safe and clean water, handwashing, construction and use of pit latrines for human waste disposal in the prevention to beat NTDs# For good.For all. The function took 6 hours from 9:00am- 3:00pm with full participation and maximum attention. Refreshments and IEC Materials where distributed to the audience and training guides for VHTs in preparation for MDA in April 2020.

The Community Education event was successful not only to increase social mobilization and NTDs awareness messages ahead of the April 2020 MDA campaign. But has put Nebbi district at the center of a broader effort to increase the visibility of national trachoma efforts, which we believe would increase visibility, ownership and critical for success of trachoma efforts in the region and recognition for World NTD day. As we consolidate the efforts to beat NTDs that has been a threat to more than 1.5 billion people with physical pain and disability. Beat NTDs#For good, For all. See Gallery

Complied by:

Jesca Kaiza Brendah

Administrative Assistant (Reports)

ALLIANCE WATER SOLUTIONS

+256(0)414671145/+256 (0) 751404947

www.alliancewatersolutions.org