A first-hand account of JCI Executive Director Arrey Obenson’s trip to Cameroon for JCI Nothing But Nets.
Traveling from St. Louis, USA, to Yaoundé, Cameroon as part of a delegation to observe the distribution of 8.6 million insecticide-treated nets to combat malaria, I expected to observe a random distribution of malaria nets to people in need. However, I learned that the fight against malaria goes beyond just a net. There is so much more that goes into a net distribution to effectively combat this killer disease. Malaria is a disease that is both preventable and treatable. The Government of Cameroon, supported by the Global Fund and several other partners, has opted to fight malaria by making the treatment affordable and accessible as well as using mosquito nets to prevent the disease. We journeyed about 150 kilometers outside Yaoundé through the rich and thick tropical central African forest on a long, bumpy road. In the village of Ebanga Ebogsi, we met a cute little girl named Eyenga.
Eyenga’s Story
Eyenga is an only daughter to her relatively young parents. When Eyenga’s mother was pregnant, she received a long-lasting insecticide-treated net and has slept under that net ever since. Eyenga is now two years old and has only been a victim of malaria once. Eyenga and her mother traveled to visit an in-law and while there did not sleep under a mosquito net. Eyenga came down with malaria after the visit. She developed a high fever overnight, forcing her parents to rush her to the village’s community health worker at midnight. The health worker is a trained volunteer who diagnoses and treats malaria. They use a combination therapy treatment administered free for children between the ages of zero and five, as part of a government policy. Eyenga’s life was saved from the deadly disease, and since then, her parents have faithfully ensured she sleeps under a net every night. But it took more than just a net to keep Eyenga alive. It took a cultural change and acceptance that the new way of life is to sleep under an insecticide-treated net. It also took the access to a community health worker and free or affordable malaria treatment. This net is a symbol of a brighter future for the children of Cameroon and those affected by malaria all over the world. When asked about his aspirations for his daughter’s education, Eyenga’s father smiled and said, “First things first. Eyenga must be healthy. If she is healthy, she will get education.”
How Net Distributions Work
This is just one of many stories of the millions of people who will receive insecticide-treated nets in the next few weeks and months in Cameroon. It was fascinating to learn about the process before, during and after the net distribution. In the first 10 days of the planned distribution, every household in Cameroon will be identified and numbered. More than 40,000 workers will be hired from every neighborhood across the country. These workers will collect data on the number of people in each household and determine the number of mosquito nets required for the household on a basis of 2.2 persons per net. A household of two or three will receive one net, while a household of five will receive two nets. After collecting data, each household receives a voucher stating the number of nets, and the place and day to collect the nets. Before picking up the net, they attend a compulsory educational session on the use of the nets. Six months after the distribution, there is follow up to ensure that those who received the mosquito nets are using them and using them properly. The local media, national media and mobile telephone companies are all joining the effort to raise community awareness about using the nets.
Challenges We Face
Progress to fight this disease has been made, but there are still some challenges, especially in the education of the population. First, because the Global Fund along with other partners like the United Nations Foundation, the United Methodist Church and JCI fund these nets, they must be delivered at NO cost to the population. Secondly, it’s not enough to just have a mosquito net. The family must use it. Houses in Cameroon are not built in anticipation of mosquito nets. Beds are not made to accommodate the nets. The population must now adapt their buildings to hang mosquito nets or change the way beds are made to allow for the hanging of nets. Thirdly, the distribution of nearly 10 million mosquito nets across a country with a chronically bad transportation infrastructure is an enormous task. These logistical factors must be taken into consideration and managed to ensure a successful distribution. Finally, during my stay in Cameroon at every encounter with the press and the citizens, there was doubt about the accountability and transparency of the distribution process. With education and more publicity, the truth will spread about the effective help each net brings to the population.
The Role of Citizens
To overcome these challenges, civil society must engage with those working on the front lines. The ordinary citizens of the country where the distribution is taking place must become part of the process. After all, it is their lives that will be saved and transformed. Government and businesses, no matter how committed they are, cannot make a difference if the people affected are not engaged as stakeholders. That is why JCI Cameroon is embarking on its own campaign to engage civil society by raising money within Cameroon. This money will be used as funding for 1.9 million nets that will help the government of Cameroon attain universal malaria coverage and save millions of lives. JCI Cameroon National President Takor Takor has appealed to JCI National Organizations in more than 100 countries to support Cameroon as his country embarks on this historic endeavor.
For millions of people who will receive mosquito nets, life will never be the same. Reducing the incidence of malaria will mean more children stand a chance to live and have access to education. Parents can put their savings into building a bright future for their children. Mothers will become more productive and can enter the work force. More importantly, a government that spent a significant portion of its health resources fighting malaria can now redirect resources to building schools, roads and providing other social services. The impact of an insecticide-treated net is far reaching. Many may think it is just giving out a net. But from my experience in Cameroon, I now know that it is more than just a net handed to a needy person. It brings a new outlook on life, a cultural change and hope for a brighter future for millions of people across Africa.
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