Malnutrition in Mokolo: The vital role of community health workers
In Mokolo, community health workers spot the first signs of acute malnutrition. Their rapid response ensures children are referred, treated, and saved.
- English
- Français
“It was thanks to the visits from the community health worker that I realised my son was ill. He was quickly referred to Mokolo District Hospital, where he was treated with Plumpy’Nut. Today, he has recovered and is gradually regaining his strength,” says Nguiza, mother of little Yaya.
In Mokolo, in Cameroon’s Far North Region, the fight against acute malnutrition often begins within the communities themselves. Through home visits, awareness-raising sessions and nutritional screening, community health workers (CHWs) play a vital role in the early identification of children showing signs of malnutrition.
For Nguiza, the intervention of a community health worker proved crucial. During a home visit, the worker noticed signs of illness in his son and referred him to Mokolo District Hospital, where the child received appropriate nutritional care.
This rapid response illustrates the importance of the care pathway: identifying children at risk, referring them to healthcare facilities, ensuring they receive treatment, and monitoring their progress until they have recovered.
Every year, more than 50,000 children suffering from acute malnutrition in the Far North return to a satisfactory nutritional status thanks to early detection and rapid referral to health centres and hospitals by Community Health Workers (CHWs). Their close proximity to families enables them to intervene before the children’s nutritional status deteriorates further.
Although they often work behind the scenes, Community Health Workers (CHWs) thus form a vital link between communities and health services. Their commitment helps bring nutritional services closer to families, including those living in the most remote areas.
With support from the Government of Canada through the Child Nutrition Fund, efforts to screen, refer and monitor children at risk of malnutrition are being strengthened in communities in the Far North.
Behind every child receiving care lies a network of people working together towards a single priority: early detection, timely treatment and saving lives.
#ChildNutritionFund #Canada #Nutrition #ASC #AcuteMalnutrition #Mokolo #SavingLives
