By Alick Nzangaya
The Malawi Red Cross Society (MRCS) has rolled ‘Africa – COVID-19 Vaccination in Malawi’ project which targets Malawi’s five districts.
The ‘Africa – COVID-19 Vaccination in Malawi’ is a 15-months European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid funded project which is being implemented by MRCS in partnership with the Danish Red Cross.
The project is targeting over one million Malawians in five districts which include: Nkhotakota, Nkhatabay, Chikwawa, Zomba, Mchinji and Chikwawa.
According to MRCS’s Secretary General McBain Kanongodza, the project aims at reducing morbidity and mortality due to COVID-19 and transmission of the virus in Africa by supporting participatory vaccination roll out campaigns.
Kanongodza who was speaking during an opening session to mark the kick off on Tuesday morning in Dowa district, said the project will also scale up preparedness for effective response to COVID-19 vaccination.
He then challenged all members of staff at MRCS to excellently handle the project and all supporting sections, to make this Vaccination project a success.
“Everyone in the project counts. MRCS recognizes all efforts done by other players in containing the COVID 19 spread, hence the need for all staff involved in this project to embrace a hard -working spirit, so that other players would continue recognizing MRCS’s neck up in the fight against COVID 19”. Said Kanongodza.
The Secretary General further thanked the European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and Danish Red Cross for their support in the implementation of the project.
In her remarks, Danish Red Cross Malawi Program delegate Marie Sonderholm said this is one big regional project being implemented in four countries of Malawi, Somalia, Madagascar and Kenya.
Sonderholm added that donors have all the belief in staffs from these countries that they will deliver and she has since urged the Malawian counterpart to embrace the hard working spirit so as to make the project so successful.
“The partners believe with a lot of expertise brought in the project, successes will be registered, and I am encouraging all those involved to work hard towards achieving the projects goals”, said Sonderholm.
On the other hand, Deputy Director of Preventive Health Services in the Ministry of Health Dr. Mike Chisema who represented the ministry of health, commended MRCS for remaining an aggressive partner since Malawi recorded the first covid-19 case.
Dr Chisema who is also the National Immunization Program Manager in the Ministry encouraged MRCS to continue with its sustained efforts in supporting the country’s health services in all its humanitarian work.
“MRCS became the first partner to government in all efforts to combat the pandemic. As Malawi became the third to operationalize covid-19 vaccination in Africa, MRCS has also remained key in sensitizing and mobilizing communities to get the COVID -19 Vaccine jab” said Dr. Chisema .
