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First Person
Young and old foot
soldiers in the fight
against malaria
Counting Out Malaria One Village at a Time
Photo: The Mentor Initiative
Isaac Tengbeh is 75 years old and
actively involved in malaria prevention in
Liberia.
“I’m proof that you’re never
too old to join the fight
against malaria; the elders
have an important role in
the communities,” said
community health volunteer
Isaac Tengbeh.
USAID and the Presidential Malaria Initiative work with local
partners and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in all 15
of Liberia’s counties to cure and prevent malaria. With malaria
medicine and bednets now available, one of the most challenging
aspects of the fight against the disease is public awareness and
door-to-door outreach to persuade people to use mosquito nets
correctly and to seek treatment from qualified providers.
Among the participants in rural Todee District’s initial community
volunteer training was an elderly man named Isaac Tengbeh. Born
in 1934, Tengbeh exudes plenty of energy and enthusiasm. But he
has low literacy and math skills and struggled with quizzes given by
the trainers. The group did not elect Tengbeh to the newly-formed
Community Malaria Working Group.
Regardless, Tengbeh began attending every single meeting as an
observer to learn as much as he could. Given his dedication and
his commitment to learning, Tengbeh was finally assigned as the
representative for the elders and now serves as an officially elected
member of the Community Malaria Working Group for Todee
District, in rural Montserrado County. He has participated actively
in awareness campaigns, including a 10-day house-to-house
campaign leading up to World Malaria Day.
Tengbeh is proud of his involvement. “I’m proof that you’re never
too old to join the fight against malaria; the elders have an important
role in the communities,” he said.
In rural districts like Todee, community health volunteers sometimes
walk three or four hours to reach villages where they discuss
the purpose of their visit with the village chief. With the chief’s
permission, they share the malaria messages with village residents.
Some people resist saying bednets would make them too hot or
hurt their skin. In other cases, people discount the dangers of
malaria, selling the nets or using them to make curtains, to strain
food, or to fish.
Overall, Tengbeh and his fellow volunteers are proud to see more
people recognizing malaria symptoms and going to the health
center to receive treatment. Their observations are borne out
by the 2009 Malaria Indicator Survey showing that use of the
recommended drug therapy increased in Liberia from 5% in 2005 to
30% in 2009.
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