CRS Holds Press Briefing

FOROYAA Newspaper (Serrekunda)

Bakary Y. Jammeh

3 June 2011

On Tuesday, 31 May 2011, the Catholic Relief Service (CRS) held a press briefing to sensitise the public on its National Malaria Programme at its main office in Fajara.

The press briefing was organised by the CRS in collaboration with the health promotion and development.

Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Ebrima Jarju, a Senior Programme Officer at CRS, said the organisation has been in existence in the Gambia since 1964 and was established with the aim of promoting the health of the people and making the Gambia a Malaria free society. He said they have concluded an activity on the promotion and distribution of long-lasting mosquito nets across the country.

He said the CRS in February this year has launched the mass distribution of long lasting nets across the country which was done by Vice President of the country Mrs. Isatou Njie-Saidy and graced by their partners such as the National Malaria Control Programme, National Aids Secretariat, other NGOs, WHO, UNDP and all these interested in Malaria control in the Gambia.

Mr. Jarju said they planned to distribute 700,000 nets across the country and at the end of the event they were able to distribute 658,000 long lasting nets to all the target groups that were eligible to receive the impregnated bed nets.

He said CRS will soon organise training for 550 extension workers across the country with the view to help sensitise the communities about the importance of mosquito bed nets. He further disclosed that the CRS with its partners will continue with the exercise to distribute nets to people who where unavoidably missed during the last campaign and will follow a massive hang up exercise as well as the intensification activities through out the country, and also with a view to promote the use of LLIN’s.

Mr. Baba Balajo, the project manger of CRS, said they intend to give the bed nets to health institutions across the country and that they will soon start the distribution of long lasting bed nets to 118 communities across the country and that the distribution will target pregnant women and children under one year and that this will last for 12 months.

He concluded that the beneficiaries will be collecting their nets from their various community distribution points.

The CRS is also sensitizing the general public on the importance of mosquito nets and urged all to use the net for malaria prevention and to keep their lives healthy and to free the society and the children particularly from malaria.

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