chisomo community health organization
This is a grassroots initiative, involving local individuals from many villages, coming together to bridge a gap identified in the health delivery system. It oversees a preventive health outreach program to improve health conditions for the 15,000 people in the catchment basin around Chilanga, by putting front line health care into the hands of those who need it most.
When fully implemented, each group village will select three people to be trained as Village Health Workers (VHW), capable of basic health interventions as well as providing information to encourage health promotion and prevention of the most direct sort. They will maintain a data bank of information on individual villagers’ health which will be shared with the Chilanga Clinic to ensure appropriate follow-up. This information will allow the Village Health Worker Coordinators to identify needs and provide workshops when trends and problems are identified.
The network of VHW will be supported by two Health Surveillance Assistants (HSA) and will collaborate closely with the Ministry of Health in nearby Kasungu and the Chilanga Community Clinic.
In March 2015, a first “health camp”, held as an inaugural event, attracted over 1000 people from over 60 villages. Another health camp was held in 2016 and another in 2017 at Mnjale village in coordination with the Teresa Foundation.
Tina Mbewe is coordinating the Village Health Workers and is working in more than 90 small villages in the catchment basin. Twenty-two bicycles were donated by Graham Covington of Engaging Networks and distributed to Village Health Workers at a malaria clinic when the Vanier College Nurses were in the area.
When fully implemented, each group village will select three people to be trained as Village Health Workers (VHW), capable of basic health interventions as well as providing information to encourage health promotion and prevention of the most direct sort. They will maintain a data bank of information on individual villagers’ health which will be shared with the Chilanga Clinic to ensure appropriate follow-up. This information will allow the Village Health Worker Coordinators to identify needs and provide workshops when trends and problems are identified.
The network of VHW will be supported by two Health Surveillance Assistants (HSA) and will collaborate closely with the Ministry of Health in nearby Kasungu and the Chilanga Community Clinic.
In March 2015, a first “health camp”, held as an inaugural event, attracted over 1000 people from over 60 villages. Another health camp was held in 2016 and another in 2017 at Mnjale village in coordination with the Teresa Foundation.
Tina Mbewe is coordinating the Village Health Workers and is working in more than 90 small villages in the catchment basin. Twenty-two bicycles were donated by Graham Covington of Engaging Networks and distributed to Village Health Workers at a malaria clinic when the Vanier College Nurses were in the area.
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