Community Case Management Program Goes Beyond Helping the Under Five population

Below is a recent story from EQUIP Liberia’s blog. Thousands of Community Health Volunteers are tackling their communities’ health problems each day all over Nimba county!

Esther Yeaney is a newly trained general Community Health Volunteer. Selected not only because she is one of the few women in her community that has achieved a grade 6 education, but also because of her compassion and concern for the health of her community. Her first training was on diarrhea and dehydration Community Case Management (CCM) sponsored by USAID/Rebuilding Health Services in Liberia (RBHS) in partnership with Equip Liberia, back in May 2010.

In September, Esther received further training in Community Case Management of malaria and Acute Respiratory Infections. Esther is well respected in her community of Zahn Boie. “I can be called at any time, “she says, “Sometimes late in the night, but that is what I was trained for.

“I can be called at any time,” she says,

“Sometimes late in the night, but that is what I was trained for.”

As the supervisory team looks through Esther’s detailed patient ledger, we see that that she is thorough and accurate. Esther saw 39 cases of suspected malaria (32 cases which proved to be positive through Rapid Diagnostic Test - RDT) and 8 cases of diarrhea within a 3 week period.Esther not only advocates on behalf of the under 5 population in her community but she has been encouraging pregnant women to go to the clinic for antenatal care, IPT and safe delivery.

When a gCHV diarrhea refresher training was happening in Bunadin, she escorted Ma Alice, who was in early labor, to the Bunadin Clinic. Ma Alice delivered a healthy baby boy at the clinic, but when complications developed post delivery, our Equip vehicle was ready to conduct her quickly to the Methodist Hospital for emergency obstetrical care. Esther Yeaney, encouraged her and supported her through the process. Without Esther’s advocacy, another maternal tragedy may have occurred in Nimba County.

Story submitted by Audry Waines, EQUIP Liberia