OUR COVID-19 RESPONSE

 ^ Dr. Bathily with community leaders in Bamako who participated in COVID-19 training

We checked in with our partners and our entire community-based team and together developed response strategies that would provide support where it was needed most – at the community level. Our partners report that, where they work, there have been no other resources to support their COVID-19 response.

As we adapted and reoriented our primary strategies, described below, we had three immediate goals:

Restore attendance and continuity of maternal and child healthcare at 16 community health centers

     EQUIPPING COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS

Before COVID-19 arrived in Mali, we reached out to all of our community health center partners to assess if they were ready for it, or if they had received any guidance or resources. None of them had. As we secured funds for COVID-19 response, preparing our partners to keep their staff and their patients safe was a top priority.

While here are the supplies we were able to provide to our 16 partner health centers:

550

COVID-19 information posters

    TRAINING HEALTH CENTER STAFF and COMMUNITY LEADERS 

In each community we serve, we trained small groups of 5 people: one group of health center staff and one group of community leaders, for a total of 160 people. Each group was not only given information about COVID-19, but also how to share that information with patients and others in their communities using visual guides and resources we provided.

The subjects covered included:

• Basic information about COVID-19
• The symptoms of COVID-19
• Modes of transmission
• Prevention methods and barrier gestures
• How to manage COVID-19 rumors and misinformation

HEALTH CENTER STAFF

In addition to the subjects above, we also trained health personnel in how to maximize hygiene and protective measures with their limited resources.

Though none of those trained had received any prior information about COVID-19, 97% of participants quickly mastered the content, as measured in our knowledge pre- and post-tests.

” At my health center, we were not ready to face this reality. Staff had not received training, the center had no preventive equipment. Anything that fed fear on the part of the population, also discouraged our staff. I noticed that some of my team stopped coming because they didn’t know how to deal with patients who might be showing signs of COVID-19.”

– Dr. Thiéro, Sabalibougou (SAB1)

     COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS

Our team of 44 community health workers did not hesitate when COVID-19 began to threaten their communities. They knew from experience that maintaining continuity of care for pregnant women and children under 5 would be a challenge. But with protective equipment and new knowledge to share, they continued serving their neighbors with more determination than ever.

Through October, this is what they have achieved:

0

newborn, child, or maternal deaths

” I am proud to tell you that the mother who was reluctant to go for her prenatal care has returned to the health center and she will give birth very soon. She has done her follow-ups on a regular basis since my discussions with her. Like her, most of the people who had stopped seeking care at the health center started up again.”

– Kadidiatou, community health supervisor in Lafiabougou

Read more about Kadidiatou’s year.

HEALTH RADIO

Radio is one of the most common methods for accessing information in the communities we serve, particularly where other forms of media are difficult to access. There is a strong history of community radio in Mali and in our own organization. Our team was more than prepared to quickly contribute messages to the airwaves to combat misinformation and encourage prevention behaviors.

In coordination with the National Center for Information and Education and Communication in Health (CNIECS), we produced radio spots and hosted live broadcasts on the symptoms of COVID-19, its modes of transmission, and its prevention, in two languages, Bamanakan (Bambara) and Senufo.

     COMMUNITY HEALTH CARAVANS

To reach those who we may have missed through home visits and local radio media, we created a mobile caravan that circulated in all health districts in Bamako. We traveled through neighborhoods, targeting public and gathering places like markets.

Accompanied on every outing by local health personnel, the caravan team gave communities the chance to interact and ask questions on any issue related to COVID-19, making it possible to provide good information and correct rumors in real time.

     LIVELIHOODS