By Pempho Nkhoma

Blantyre, March 25, Mana: Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN) on Tuesday donated four push bicycles and other items to Blantyre District Health Office (DHO) to address some of the challenges mother care groups in the district face.

The items include backpacks, stationary storage boxes, umbrellas, raincoats and t-shirts to be distributed to four other care groups in the district.

Speaking after the donation, MHEN Executive Director George Jobe said the donation was part of the project they are implementing in four districts and a response to some concerns other care groups raised, which included limited mobility.

“The mother care groups need items like bicycles and others. We brought bicycles to help them to go to hard-to-reach areas, raincoats to be used in rainy season, stationary boxes to keep their documents and t-shirts for their visibility and identification,” he said.

Director of Health and Social Services at Blantyre District Council, Dr Gift Kawalazira, expressed gratitude, saying this donation will help the community volunteers in child immunisation programme.

“MHEN is working in the district in collaboration with DHO basically to complement community participation as well as building the capacity of women care groups. The donation will help us to campaign and champion vaccination of the under-five.

“Involvement of mother care groups is giving positive results, as we have managed to vaccinate over 90% of the children. The district was awarded with a trophy for being one of the districts that have done well in under-five vaccines,” he added.

MHEN, in partnership with PATH - with financial support from Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunisation (GAVI) through the Ministry of Health - is implementing a project that helps to identify zero dose children on top of strengthening routine child vaccination in four districts, namely Blantyre, Mzimba North, Dowa and Mchinji.