Malaria Consortium, an International NGO, says the End Process Survey across the 21 Local Government Areas of Anambra is to ascertain if beneficiaries of 3.8 million Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) are using them correctly.
Mrs Laitan Adeniyi, Campaign Manager, Malaria Consortium ITNs Mass Campaign, gave the explanation at one- day training of 84 Campaign Monitoring Team on Sunday in Awka.
Adeniyi explained that four persons would be deployed to each of the 21 local government areas of the state, saying that their assignment was to randomly select houses of beneficiaries and ask them questions about the nets received.
“In the course of the assignment, the team will find out if the beneficiaries have started using the nets, and if not why?
“The objective of the end process survey is to provide quick information on the quality of the distribution for informed decision making and follow up actions” she said.
Mrs Titilope Akinlalu, Technical Work Stream Advisor, Malaria Consortium, said the ITNs distribution which took place across the state from Aug.7 to Aug.20 was to eliminate malaria scourge.
She said the NGO might return to Anambra for another round of campaign but that the end process survey report would guide their decision.
Akinlalu urged the field workers to be thorough and accurate in their data collation, saying that the technological devices provided for them would give details on how best or otherwise they performed.
Mr Boniface Pupshep, an official of National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), Federal Ministry of Health, said that past findings showed that some beneficiaries of ITNs did not sleep inside the nets.
He blamed high incidences of mortality and morbidity relating to malaria scourge on ignorance of most Nigerians to effectively use ITNs.
Mr Tunde Ibileye, Consultant to Malaria Consortium on Field Security Awareness advised participants on necessary precautionary measures in doing the job.
He told them to shun unnecessary arguments capable of snowballing into confrontation in the field but should apply wisdom while engaging the people.
Mrs Ifeyinwa Echezona, one of the participants deployed to cover Idemili North local government area, said she was impressed with the meticulous way Malaria Consortium went about the distribution.
“First their policy that those who distributed the nets should be different from those carrying out the end process survey, is an indication that the group is a serious organisation to reckon with.
“I am equally happy that they are painstakingly involved in gathering data after the distribution because that certainly will show the true results of the whole project,” she said.
Chief Sunny-Neville Uchendu, Chairman, Orumba South local government area said he was personally impressed and that his council had learnt a lot from the group on better ways to distribute materials to the masses.
“This group first embarked on micro planning before the ITNs distribution, and now they are painstakingly involved in post distribution survey, this is a good way to go,” he said.
