Beneficiaries at the Ibadan outreach during the kick-off of the awareness campaign by AIICO Plc, HACEY Health Initiative, across local communities in Lagos, Oyo and Rivers states as part of activities to mark World Malaria Day 2022
WMD 2022: AIICO, group launch campaign to tackle malaria across communities in Nigeria
[By VICTOR NZE]
Insurance firm, AIICO Plc has partnered with a non-governmental organisation, the HACEY Health Initiative, to tackle the menace caused by malaria through an awareness campaign in local communities spread across Lagos, Oyo and Rivers States in Nigeria.
The initiative was kicked-off as part of activities to mark the World Malaria Day (WMD) 2022.
Launched in line with theme of this year’s commemoration of the day; ‘Harness Innovation to Reduce the Malaria Disease Burden and Save Lives’, the objective of the campaign, according to AIICO Insurance and HACEY Health Initiative, was to improve women’s knowledge, attitude and practice, particularly among pregnant women, nursing mothers and mothers in vulnerable communities.
At the event to kick-off the campaign, 500 women, their families and community leaders in the most endemic communities were directly engaged and were beneficiaries of the donation of long-lasting insecticidal nets.
The campaign was executed leveraging the primary healthcare institutions in the communities.
In Lagos State, public health facilities located at Oke-Eletu in Ikorodu Local Government Area; the Bola Tinubu Health Centre in Alimosho Local Government Area and in the one in Agbowa area of Epe Local Government Area, were strategically targeted.
The campaign kick-off, which was run concurrently, also took place in two Local Government Areas each in Oyo and Rivers States, as door-to-door sensitization campaigns were conducted within the neighbourhood of the health centers with a reach of about 4,000 people.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the life-threatening disease had about 241 million cases worldwide in 2020. It has continued to be a significant public health challenge in sub-Saharan African which accounts for about 93% of global cases and 94% of all malaria-related deaths.
“At AIICO, we believe that a healthy country is key to achieving the sustainable development goal. This is why we invest in the health of vulnerable people, especially women. Malaria can limit the ability of pregnant women and children to live to their full potential.
“We are implementing this project in line with our long-term strategy to support a healthy and productive country,” said the Head, Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability at AIICO Insurance Plc., Mrs. Abimbola Shobanjo.
