National Orientation Agency, NOA Abia State in collaboration with the UNICEF, on Wednesday, held a one day Orientation meeting with Volunteer Community Mobilizers, VCMs at Umuahia South LGA, of Abia State.
Selected from their respective villages (the three clans that made up Umuahia South L.G.A, namely – Olokoro, Ubakala and Umuopara), the VCMs mission is to carry out house-to-house interventions to generate demand for and acceptance of oral polio vaccine; house-to-house mobilization for polio and routine immunization, COVID-19 prevention and introduce some key household practices which centered on the Essential Family Practices, EFPs.
In her speech during the event tagged: “Strengthening of VCMs for information service delivery on routine immunization, ANC Attendance and COVID-19 prevention and containment to households in Umuahia South L.G.A, the NOA State Director, Dr. Lady Ngozi Okechukwu enjoined the VCMs to strive to stand out among the rest in their various villagers, as people easily get attracted to a person identified as a role model.
Her words, “The VCMs identified as natural leaders are influential forces of communication and honourable people with strong networks in the community. The drive in them is not always profit oriented but often built around the concept of longitudinal follow up”.
The Abia NOA boss pointed out that if the VCMs are creatively mobilized and deployed, there would be a high probability of improving the COVID-19 prevention knowledge base, in the community where compliance to COVID-19 safety protocols will become a regular practice among community members.
According to her, the use of VCMs is expected to bring about change.
“The activities of VCMs will also engender community buy-in and ownership of interventions to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection and community transmission in Umuahia South L.G.A”.
The Abia State baby friendly initiative coordinator, Mrs Chinwe Eke; Health educator, Abia State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Mr. Chukwudi Ukpabi, a resource person from the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, RUWASSA, Mr. Theophilus Opara among others lectured the VCMs on Focused Antenatal care, routine immunization, exclusive breastfeeding, complimentary feeding, COVID-19 protocols among other Essential Family Practices, EFPs.
Interacting with a cross section of Journalists shortly after the event, some of the VCMs, Mrs Happiness Israel and Chief Mrs Amaka Abosi expressed their readiness to carry the EFPs message to the doorsteps of the villages in Umuahia South L.G.A, and lauded NOA/UNICEF for the timely orientation.
The Chief Orientation and Mobilization Officer, Umuahia South L.G.A, Mr. Precious Ekeleme, the NOA/UNICEF desk officer, Mr. Gordy Onwuchekwa among others attended the meeting which observed all the COVID-19 protocols.
