Médecins Sans Frontières - Community liaisons in Niger

Unique Identifier Code / URN MSB66350

Date taken / Date Recorded 15/03/2021 9:59 AM

Country Niger

Commissioning section MSF-SWITZERLAND

Photographer / videographer / producer Mack Alix Mushitsi

Copyright MSF

Usage Rights (MSF) External Media, MSF Publications

Formal Consent Copy available no

Editor's rating ★★★ (F)

Video format h264 (High) (avc1 / 0x31637661)

Duration 5m4s

Maximum Size 1920px × 1080px 327.81 MB

Additional Information / Shotlist (txt)
In the south of Niger, 278 community liaisons work day and night within their communities.

The community liaisons are active in around 160 villages, reaching more than 52,000 children under five.

(itw)
Abdoul Malik Ali, ICCM supervisor

ICCM stands for ‘integrated community case management’ – i.e. integrating the management of diseases in children at the community level.

It targets three main diseases: malaria, diarrhoea and respiratory infections. The aim is to free up health facilities, reduce the mortality rate among children under five, and allow the population to benefit from quality care within their communities.

(itw) Parent

Previously, we had problems: if a child got sick, we had to find a motorbike, and the child’s condition could while waiting for the motorbike to arrive – we’d even worry the child would die. At the health centre, you’d have to wait in a queue. The child would be in great pain while waiting to be seen. Sometimes you’d have to wait until 2 pm before the child received medical care. But now we receive this care at home.

(txt)

Thanks to the community liaisons, parents no longer need to walk long distances to reach a health centre.

(itw) Mariama, parent

We can bring our children for a consultation at any time. Even if it’s raining, the community liaison welcomes us, examines our children, and takes their temperature and everything that goes with it.

Previously, we suffered a lot. We’d keep our sick children at home for many days before taking them to the health centre, which is 9 km away.

(txt)
Today, Abdoul Malik is heading to a village to take part in the recruitment of new community liaisons.

(txt)
The community liaisons are recommended by the village headman and the village’s residents.

(itw Abdoul))
There are high rates of malaria and severe acute malnutrition among children in these villages. That’s why we chose these villages to be ICCM villages, where we recruit and train community liaisons.

(txt)
Launched in 2019 by the Ministry of Health with the support of MSF, the initiative increases local people’s access to free healthcare.

The initiative showed immediate success and the community welcomed it with open arms.

(itw)
Sayou Hamza – village headman

We’ve appreciated and supported the initiative and it has helped us a lot. Before the community liaisons, we had a lot of problems getting sick children to a health centre. You’d have to travel anything from 2 or 3 km to 9 km, sometimes on foot.

(itw Abdoul)
The choice of villages is done based on location. To be eligible, they need to be around 5 km from a health centre.

To be selected, the community liaisons must meet certain criteria: they need to understand the work is voluntary; they must be available and energetic; they should be of good character and know how to read and write; and most importantly they should come from the village itself.

After the recruitment process, the community liaisons are trained and then start work within their respective villages.

(txt)
The training lasts for 10 days and covers how to diagnose and treat the three diseases, as well as how to recognise malnutrition.

From May 2019 until the end of 2020, the liaison teams have seen a total of 158,000 children. Of these children, 94,000 had malaria, 34,000 had pneumonia and 37,000 had diarrhoea.

A total of 94,000 children were referred to health centres for further treatment.

Community liaisons in Niger - Webclip INTER

Community liaisons in Niger - Webclip INTER