By Wanangwa Tembo

Kasungu, June 25, Mana: Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN) has distributed bicycles to mother care groups in Kasungu District to help the community-led volunteer structures with mobility as they drum up mobilisation for immunisation.

Presenting the bicycles to 13 of the district’s 30 mother groups at Kalenga in Sub-Traditional Authority Nthunduwala on Tuesday, MHEN Assistant Projects Officer, Herbert Chakwawa said the support is meant to ease mobility challenges for the members.

“These mother care groups operate in rural and hard-to-reach areas, and they face mobility challenges, especially to go to mother health centres to collect vaccines.

“Mostly, either the health surveillance assistant or a member of the group has to walk those long distances, which is not easy,” Chakwawa said.

Chakwawa added that through the interventions of the groups, there have been reduced barriers to equitable and quality immunization in communities in remote areas.   

“The project aims at achieving participatory health governance to ensure that barriers to immunisation are reduced, and strengthen the capacity of integrated health systems to deliver immunisation by resolving health constraints.

“So far, we have managed to improve access, quality and utilisation of essential health packages, especially immunization, focusing on populations systematically missed due to geographical, socio-economic and cultural barriers,” he said.

Receiving the donation, Chairperson for Kalanga Mother Care Group, Maria Yamikani, hailed the support, saying it will help the group reach more villages, thereby improving immunization rates.

“This is a great boost to the campaign, and we are confident that the bicycles will help reduce vaccine default rates and thus improve child health outcomes,” she said.