By Hou Akot Hou
Ministry of Health (MoH) in Northern Bahr El Ghazal State has initiated a series of training sessions for Trainers of Trainees (ToTs) this week in Nyamlel, Aweil West County.
The objective is to equip these ToTs with essential knowledge and skills to effectively disseminate health education and support emergency preparedness within the communities.
Luka Lual Aleu Jok, the Health Education Focal Point, emphasized the high level of enthusiasm and the need to reach out to the majority of people across the counties.
The training covers critical areas such as cholera, public health measures, and sanitation, particularly in light of the forecasted heavy rainfall in the northern region, including Northern Bahr El Ghazal State.
The training campaign kicked off in Aweil West County, where more than 20 trainees, including chiefs, church leaders, students, women representatives, and youth, were equipped to serve as TOTs.
They will be responsible for cascading the vital messages on disease prevention to their respective communities.
“Our target is to train 20 people in each county on how to prevent outbreaks of diseases like meningitis, rabies from dog bites, and others, so that we can contain these outbreaks,” explained the chief.
The training primarily focuses on major diseases such as cholera, meningitis, hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Lual revealed that the World Health Organization has provided funding support for these training initiatives, which will be rolled out across all the counties, with Aweil East being the next target.
Tito Duang Dhieu, the Chief at Gok-Juer Center Payam in Aweil West County, expressed his appreciation for the training campaign.
“We are told to go and pass the messages in the churches and as chiefs if the meeting is convened in the Payams or in the courts, then we have to send the messages on how people should prevent themselves from such diseases,” he added.
The training program is strategically timed to be launched in all the counties of Northern Bahr El Ghazal State before the onset of the heavy downpours, as the region braces for potential outbreaks of cholera and other diseases.