From 2023 to date, Clear Solutions, in partnership with Kano-based iDevPro Africa and the Ministry of Health, has distributed Oral Rehydration Solution and Zinc (ORSZ) copacks to under-5s in vulnerable households and communities across Kano State in Nigeria. Providing free ORSZ copacks to caregivers ensures they have the treatment at hand and are able to use it when a child has an episode of diarrhoea. This is being done in contexts where it is common that:
Primary healthcare centres are poorly equipped and under-staffed
Settlements are not easily accessible because the roads leading to them are poorly maintained or non-existent.
In addition, the only form of address in many of the settlements where we work is "After the vegetable market, count six houses on your left." or "From the mosque, head east until you reach a fork in the path. Take the right path and look for a house with a mango tree in front of its doorway." These make for a challenging distribution environment. There have been times where at the end of a distribution round, we felt we were left with more questions than answers.
Beyond our stated goal of reducing diarrhoeal deaths in young children by promoting access to, and usage of, oral rehydration solution and zinc, Clear Solutions has also been having a positive impact in other ways. In February, Clear Solutions aims to distribute 18,500 ORSZ Copacks in Gwarabjawa, the largest Ward (Political Unit) in Dambatta Local Government in Kano State. Our door-to-door distribution model relies on Frontline Workers who are often selected from the volunteer cadres of Community Health Workers (CHWs) in the Primary Healthcare system and work for a number of days in exchange for a stipend.
When we introduced the use of Android devices to perform distribution monitoring in Phase 3, we hoped to reduce the time it took to do data entry from paper forms. This required engaging digitally literate volunteers, which can be a challenge in rural areas.
For the February distribution, facing an absence of locally-resident candidates from the volunteer CHW cadres, Clear Solutions worked with Primary Healthcare and Community Leaders in Gwarabjawa to identify and train 18 young women in digital data entry and ORSZ distribution within their communities. These women, who are often Secondary School Certificate Holders have shown a willingness to give back to the community.
Over a two-day period, a team from Clear Solution's implementation partner in Kano State, iDevPro, trained community volunteers to complete surveys on Android devices. The training utilised a hands-on approach that focused on teaching transferable skills: smartphone navigation, accurate data entry and basic troubleshooting in addition to soft skills such as interview techniques, cultural sensitivity, communication and data collection ethics.
Armed with new confidence and skills, the 18 Frontline Workers are currently on track to distribute 18,500 ORSZ copacks to eligible households across Gwarabjawa. Their familiarity with the locality, knowledge of routes and their status as community residents makes them suitable for carrying out distribution in areas that may be challenging to navigate for outsiders. Furthermore, it is our hope that these young women can also serve as role models in their communities and encourage others to pick up new skills.
This represents a new innovation in our approach where we leverage upon partnerships with the community to build the talent pool in areas where we work thus providing opportunities for hardworking young people and also boosting the economy in local communities. The Primary Healthcare system also benefits immensely as they can now take advantage of trained volunteers to conduct digital surveys in future. In Gwarabjawa, this approach has shown remarkable success. We hope to test it further in more communities as we refine our model but initial results indicate this approach is both replicable and sustainable.
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