By Vincent Khonje

Mchinji, June, Mana: A quiet revolution is happening in the remotest parts of Mchinji, where the nearest health facilities are often several kilometres away.

The change is not being driven by medical specialists, but rather groups of determined women, who are mothers themselves, and they have taken it upon themselves to transform the immunization landscape in their communities.

Trinity Maloni, 24, a mother of one from Nyongani Village in Traditional Authority (TA) Mavwere, in the district, has seen the benefits of immunization manifest in her family.

Her eight-month-old son is healthy and happy and he has avoided most preventable diseases.

“I am lucky that I got all the information about vaccines way before I got pregnant and, up to now, after giving birth, I have made sure the relevant vaccines have been given to my son,” said Maloni.

Thanks to a women's group called Mother Care Group (MCG), Maloni was able to get encouragement and information on vaccinations that are necessary for women, children and even adolescent girls.

In Mchinji, the MCGs are turning the tide in areas traditionally underserved by health services.

The purpose of these groups has been to educate, mobilize, and ensure that every child under the age of five and every eligible woman gets vaccinated.

Mzama area in TA Mduwa is one of the hardest to reach areas, with the nearest hospital at Mikundi located 30 kilometres away, while other health facilities are, actually, in Lilongwe.

Chairperson of Mzama MCG, Sophilet Bakayawo, reflected on the journey they have undergone from 2022, helping transform women who were very reluctant to take their children for vaccination.

“Before the formation of the MCGs, we used to have problems with children getting sick from illnesses that could easily be prevented. We had little knowledge of what vaccines could do to children. Faced with the burden of being too far from a health facility made it worse, and we could lose the lives of innocent children,” said Bakayawo.

The formation of MCG in Mzama changed everything, and this has helped many children to prevent diseases that were once a burden in the area.

Equipped with the necessary information about vaccines, Mzama MCG has gone flat out to help advance the immunization narrative in their area.

“We live far from health facilities. But that does not mean our children should die from preventable diseases. We go door to door and talk to families, especially fellow women, about why vaccines matter. We also reach out to duty bearers to support this agenda,” Bakayawo explained.

Their tireless work has created significant demand for vaccines at the Under-5 clinics, which are the nearest health contact points in these distant communities.

In Matutu, TA Dambe, in the same district, another MCG called Matutu-Msasi is making headlines for its effectiveness.

Health Surveillance Assistant (HSA) for Matutu, Rhoda Chikudzulire, said the group’s efforts have improved vaccination rates in the area, as most of the women who shunned vaccines for their reasons have had their mindsets changed.

“Before the MCG came in, turnout for vaccines was low. People believed myths that vaccines would make their children sick or infertile. But these women have helped change the narrative,” said Chikudzulire.

The MCG, in its awareness and advocacy efforts, realized that the people lacked proper knowledge and took the battle to the heart of the community.

They engaged the chiefs and the community at large, but initially faced resistance.

The group never relented on their mission to rescue children from diseases that can easily be prevented.

Secretary of the Matutu MCG, Violet Kawere, said their quest is to make sure that every woman is aware of the vaccines that children and mothers must get.

“We faced resistance at first. But we kept engaging people at every opportunity that we got, such as church gatherings, at markets, and in all women’s groups. Today, even men proudly take their children to get vaccinated,” said Kawere.

The MCGs have not only created demand for vaccines in the areas where they have been established, but they have also ensured advocacy for the construction of under-five clinics to facilitate the easy administration of vaccines, taking into account the distance to health centres and hospitals.

The under-five clinics in Mzama and Matutu have solar-powered refrigerators, making it possible to stock the vaccines.

Some of the vaccines being administered include BCG, Pentavalent, Rotavirus, Measles-Rubella, Malaria, the newly introduced HPV vaccine for girls aged nine to 14, and Vitamin A.

Cold chain officer at Mchinji District Health Office, Johan Chirwa, attested to the MCGs’ role of bringing awareness to the communities on the importance of immunization.

“The impact is tangible and coverage has improved in hard-to-reach zones because these women are ensuring no child is left behind,” said Chirwa.

The formation of MCGs was facilitated by the Centre for Research and Development Initiative (CERADI), with support from the Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN), which is executing the Health Systems and Immunization Strengthening Project with assistance from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI).

MCGs comprise 31 members, including a traditional leader, and Mchinji has 34 of these MCGs.

The inception of the MCGs has brought in significant changes, coupled with other factors, of course.

Figures show that there is an improvement in the coverage compared to two years ago.

Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) coordinator for Mchinji, Davis Sambikeni, said currently, Mchinji is at 83 per cent routine vaccine coverage as of 2024.

“We are making progress when we compare to some two to three years ago, where we could not meet 80 per cent coverage in most of the antigens. By then, we were 78 per cent and below,” said Sambikeni.

Although this is the case, Mchinji is currently still struggling with vaccines like that of Malaria, and Measles Rubella, mostly the second dose.

The MCGs in Mchinji have played their part in driving the immunization agenda amongst the community members in the remotest areas, as they mobilize the people; the ball now rests in the court of stakeholders to drum up support and make sure vaccines are available.