A non-profit making organization called the Institute of Social Research and Development (ISRAD) has intensified its fight against cholera and Ebola diseases in Northern Ghana.
As part of the crusade, ISRAD is organizing series of behavioral change campaigns in the three regions of the north.
Premium is placed on communities located in the country’s border towns including the Bole district in the Northern Region.
[contextly_sidebar id=”ITAGAkAd583V2Fk2qi4UVhvwKM7bY0Ut”]At one of the stakeholder meetings held in Tamale, ISRAD’s Executive Director, Dr. Mawiya Zakariah told Citi News his outfit’s move was to complement government’s efforts in the fight against cholera and Ebola.
“This project has been carefully crafted in line with the Social Mobilization and Risk Communication component of the Government of Ghana’s National Preparedness and Response Plan for the Prevention and Control of the Ebola Viral Disease.”
He said ISRAD was working in collaboration with other key stakeholders including the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to eradicate the cholera disease and Ebola in case of any eventuality.
“We will ensure that the Ebola disease does not come into the country and if it does come in the unlikely event, it will be properly contained.”
He unveiled ISRAD’s intension to use traditional and mass media channels to effect behavioral change at the community level.
Dr. Mawiya Zakariah said field officers and volunteers would be recruited in ISRAD’s operational zones to undertake house to house sensitization, community durbars and periodically organize small group meetings.
He pre-empted a positive behavioral change in the identified communities to make the implementation of the project successful within six months.
Among the development partners, Dr. Mawiya Zakariah mentioned the Ghana Education Service, Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, the district assemblies, Ghana Immigration Service and UKAID.
Dr. Mawiya Zakariah commended the Ghana government, the DFID and UKAID for funding the project.
In a speech read on his behalf, the chief of Tamale, Naa Dakpema Dawuni Alhassan stressed the need for self discipline as a means of preventing the two deadly diseases with emphasis on cholera.
The stakeholders meeting replicated in Tamale sought to sensitize the general public through evidence based strategies with information on the prevention of cholera as well as the avoidance of the emergence of Ebola.
The participants were drawn from the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE), District Directors of health, National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), Wild Life Commission, the Ghana Immigration Service, Religious groups, traditional leaders and trainee nurses.
ISRAD’s major priority is to use the behavioral change campaign to equip community members with basic knowledge on the signs and symptoms of Ebola and Cholera, their mode of transmission and how to position themselves in case of a suspected outbreak.
The goal of the project is to widen the knowledge of at least 70% of the vulnerable and about 10 million Ghanaians are expected to be sensitized on the Cholera and the Ebola diseases within the 6 months duration of the project.
The Institute for Social Research and Development (ISRAD) was established as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in Ghana in 2006.
It was founded to undertake integrated development research, design and manage development programmes to improve the lives of people.
Since its inception, ISRAD has implemented numerous projects mostly in the area of health particularly in the three northern regions.
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By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana