DREAMER WEAVER ORGANIZATION
NEW GLOBAL FUND MALARIA SENSITIZATION PROJECT IN ADA WEST DISTRICT ASSEMBLY
The Dreamer Weaver Organization, a Non- Governmental Organization, (NGO) and the Ada West District Health Directorate, jointly, organized a public sensitization programme on malaria prevention on Thursday, 22nd May 2025. The programme took place at the premises of the District Health Directorate.
The objective of the program was to sensitize participants on malaria prevention and control, with emphasis on the vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and children under five years.
The programme sought among other things, to raise awareness on the risks associated with malaria during pregnancy, train participants on how to identify and support pregnant women in their communities, promote consistent follow-ups and early malaria treatment to improve maternal and child health outcomes. The program focused, largely, on identifying pregnant women and conducting effective follow-ups as a strategy to reducing the impacts of malaria.
The sensitization brought together key stakeholders, including Heads of Departments (HODs) of the District Assembly, health workers, staff of the District Education Directorate and community volunteers.
District Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) Mr. Samuel Etsey, addressing the gathering, emphasized the importance of sleeping under insecticide-treated mosquito nets to prevent malaria. He also advocated the practice of good personal and environmental hygiene; including keeping our surroundings clean to prevent the breeding of mosquitos. According to him, the fight against malaria is a shared responsibility among individuals, families and institutions through behavioural change and awareness creation.
The representative of the District Education Directorate Ms. Gladys Kwame, disclosed that they also conduct health education at various levels in the schools, focusing mainly on malaria prevention and dangers of open defecation. According to her, she usually advises school children and parents without household toilet facilities to dig a hole, defecate in it, and cover it properly as temporal but safer alternative to open defecation.
She also conducts HIV/AIDS awareness creation and the rise in teenage pregnancy. Ms. Kwame expressed concern about the role of ‘Okada’ riders (commercial motorcyclists) in contributing to teenage pregnancy, urging stakeholders to address this growing social menace through education, parental involvement and strict communal regulations.
The District Health Director, Dr. Maxwell Fiadjoe Onassis emphasized that eradicating malaria is a shared responsibility that requires collaboration from individuals and all sectors. He added that the district had just completed a mosquito net distribution exercise to help reduce malaria cases districtwide.
He seized the opportunity to announce that the month of May, is dedicated to hypertension screening. He urged participants to support and participant actively in this initiative to promote overall community wellness.
ISD – AWDA
22nd May 2025