By Terna Chikpa, Jalingo
The Wake Women and Youth Empowerment Initiative (Wake-WAYED), in partnership with Society for Water and Sanitation (NEWSAN), on Saturday organised a malaria prevention sensitisation for water board community of Jalingo in Taraba state.
Pastor Favour Dafid, the Chief Executive Officer of Wake-WAYED, explained during the programme that the organisation was moved to carry out the sensitisation, free testing and medication for the community due to her swampy situation that is prompt to mosquito which courses malaria.
Dafid noted that the organisation was out to assist prevent the preventable disease like pneumonia, malaria and others, especially against Pregnant women and children between the ages of 0-5, due to their low capacity immune system.
“Our desire is to ensure that communities in Taraba become malaria and other preventive diseases free. The idea of today’s sensitization to the water board community of Jalingo is due to the water nature of the area which is prompt to mosquito bites that courses malaria.
“After the awareness, we are going to carry out free testing, free medication to those whom may be infection with malaria.
“Our major target is women and children, especially pregnants women and children between the ages of 0-5 who’s immune system is low and can be easily infected by malaria,” the CEO explained.
Dafid while thanking the Federal medical centre (FMC), Jalingo for her assistance, appealed for governmet support to enable the organisation reach out to more communities in the state to eliminate the diseases.
Mr Boniface kosom, Taraba State Coordinator, NEWSAN, noted during the event that the organisation was out for the sensitisation programme in the community considering the danger associated with mosquito in the area.
“This community is bothering the riverbank which is prompt to mosquito that people in the area can easily be infected with malaria. Most communities around the water side, considering the poor environmental hygiene of those areas, mosquito finds the areas as favourable for breeding,” he said.
Reacting over the development, Mr Isa Muhammad the ward head (Mai- Angwa), of water board community, commended Wake-WAYED for the initiative and described it as life saving programme.
Muhammad said the awareness, free testing and medication was a life saving initiative that needed to be emulated by other organisations and encouraged by the government to do more to save lives.
