Garissa County Partners with NGOs to Train Community Champions on Flood Health Management
Bula Adan – Garissa County has concluded training for health care workers aimed at enhancing community resilience and championing for better Health Emergency Response on Wednesday.
The County Department of Health and Veterinary Services patented with the World Food Program (WFP), International Rescue Committee (IRC), and Save the Children (SCI) for a comprehensive two-day training program for health workers.
The initiative aimed to equip 50 community champions, comprising Community Animal Health Workers (CAHWs) and Community Health Promoters (CHPs), with essential skills in managing flood-borne public health emergencies.
The training hoped to address a spectrum of health challenges associated with floods, including vector-borne diseases such as Rift Valley fever and malaria, as well as water-borne diseases like cholera.
A participant listens to a presentation during a two-day training for 50 community workers on managing flood-borne public health emergencies in Garissa. Photo/ GT
Participants, drawn from eight sub-counties, engaged in interactive sessions designed to impart knowledge crucial for effectively tackling health crises exacerbated by flooding.
“These community champions are now entrusted with disseminating the acquired knowledge within their localities, contributing to the community’s overall preparedness and response capabilities,” read in parts a dispatch form the County Government.
“Beyond awareness dissemination, their role extends to event-based surveillance and reporting, serving as an early warning system to detect and manage disease outbreaks promptly,” it added.
According to Garissa County which is prone to seasonal flooding, community-driven initiatives will be utilized in mitigating public health risks associated with such emergencies.
“By fostering a network of well-informed community champions, the county takes a significant stride toward building a resilient and proactive health infrastructure.”
Locals have been urged to assume their roles as agents of knowledge and early response even as the administration pledges strengthened ability to protect residents from the health impacts of flooding.
Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia, recently recovering from the severe impacts of a four-decade-long drought, are grappling with destructive floods triggered by heavy rainfall associated with the El Niño weather phenomenon.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, in collaboration with the Kenya Red Cross Society, has launched an emergency appeal for approximately $20 million to address the current disaster.
According to the Kenya Red Cross Secretary General Ahmed Idris, entire communities are either submerged or marooned, with critical infrastructure, including roads, severed and disrupting the vital supply chain.
Urgent provisions of food, clean water, and medical supplies are deemed necessary to avert a humanitarian catastrophe.