Maimouna, a symbol of community commitment

Neither her age nor the heavy burden of her family responsibilities stops her. She remains determined and committed to the improvement of the well-being of her community; the mother of ten children, is now an esteemed figure in Moyito, in the Hadjer Lamis province of Chad.

Maimouna symbolizes community commitment through her active contribution as a community relay at the Moyito health center. Her exceptional journey, marked by rich experiences, reveals a strong willpower to raise awareness in her community about the benefits of vaccination and the crucial importance of birth registration.

Maimouna's journey began’s from sad observations of the devastating effects of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, meningitis, whooping cough, and polio. From this arose her desire to serve her community.  Being fluent in arabic, boulala and barguimier adds strength and cultural richness in her role as a community relay that she has been undertaking for over a decade.

Thanks to prior training provided by UNICEF, she has acquired in-depth knowledge in promoting essential family practices, hygiene, and exclusive breastfeeding. This led to her selection for the Kulina Sawa project.

The Kulina Sawa project had a highly positive impact on Moyito communities. Previously, parents had to travel over 100 kilometers from Moyito and pay registration fees to obtain a birth certificate for their child. Parents were then discouraged and subsequently the children were hardly registered. Many parents were also hesitant to have their children vaccinated. "Thanks to the project, community relays have been able to promote community commitment to vaccination. "The project has also ensured that every newborn systematically benefits from a birth certificate for free," explains Abdoulaye Adamou Dambana, the chief medical officer of the Moyito district health center.

The district has been struck by several epidemics, notably whooping cough in 2018 and more recently measles in May 2023. These epidemics are not only due to the strong presence of nomadic populations but also to low community awareness of vaccination.

The involvement of Maimouna and her peers, therefore, makes perfect sense. Their participation in the Kulina Sawa project as mobilizing agents not only allows them to reach children even in hard-to-reach areas, but also promotes community engagement while strengthening their skills.

Under the leadership of traditional chiefs, the Moyito communities are now regularly organizing participatory dialogues in favor of routine vaccination against Covid-19. Maimouna and her peers, advocates of immunization and birth registration, remain engaged to ensure the sustainability of the achievements of the Kulina Sawa project.

Thanks to the financial support from Global Affairs Canada, the Kulina Sawa project has brought about real behavioral change in communities and played a crucial role in promoting immunization including Covid-19 vaccination and birth registration.