By Kemo Cham in Makeni, Bombali District
The Chief Executive Officer of FOCUS 1000, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, on Thursday commenced a tour of four districts where his organization is involved in implementation of lifesaving projects.
FOCUS 1000 is one of Sierra Leone’s leading local NGOs, and it focuses on promoting healthcare, education, social safety and environmental protection.
Mr Jalloh’s visit is designed to familiarise himself with the programmes implemented by his NGO and its partners, to enable his assess their progress first hand. His delegation comprises a project manager and the communication officer of the NGO, and their first port of call for was in Bombali District.
The FOCUS 1000 CEO started his engagement on Friday in the district headquarters of Makeni with a meeting with the District Health Management Team (DHMT).
At the meeting held in the office of the District Medical Officer, Mr Jalloh hailed the Ministry of Health for being an accommodating partner in their areas of intervention.
“Bombali is a key district for us. It’s central. It has a lot of programmes we are implementing,” he said.
“The DHMT to us is like a cradle. We can’t do anything without it. That’s why we can’t come to Bombali without visiting you,” he added.
In Bombali, FOCUS 1000 is involved with the implementation of several projects around immunization, nutrition, Malaria, TB and HIV/AIDS, as well as in its flagship intervention area of maternal and infant mortality.
District Medical authorities at Friday’s meeting with the FOCUS 1000 delegation attributed the successes in all the areas the NGO is involved to the support of its team on the ground.
District Medical Officer, Dr Sylvanus Koroma, said the organization is one of those his office can avow as a progressive partner in the district.
“One of the main reasons for our success is the cordial rapport the team has with the DHMT,” he said, noting that he would want that to continue.
Dr Koroma highlighted areas of intervention his office looks forward to for closer cooperation with the NGO going forward; they include building vaccine confidence, increasing uptake of contraceptives, postpartum family planning, as well as efforts to reduce maternal and infant mortality.
Other district health officials took turns to hail the NGO for its cooperation in their collaboration, among them was Abdul Rashid Kargbo, the district Malaria Focal Person. Mr Kargbo is coordinating the Static Campaign in the district, a collaborative project designed to intensify the fight against Malaria, HIV and Tuberculosis.
The implementing partners of the Static programme include the DHMT, Catholic Relief Services and FOCUS 1000. The campaign entails testing people and treating them, if they are found to have malaria. It also involves sensitization on how to prevent themselves from mosquito bite, which leads to malaria infection.
The programme also provides testing and treatment for TB and HIV.
Kargbo said FOCUS 1000 has been a major help in terms of social mobilization and sensitization, making their role as government partners easier.
“FOCUS 1000 has done a great job in terms of raising awareness for us and we are grateful for that,” he said.
The FOCUS 1000 CEO also held a meeting with the district Kombra Network in the offices of the Traders Union in Makeni, where they discussed the Kombra Savings and Loan Scheme, among many other issues concerning the role of the consortium of grassroots organizations that help the NGO in its advocacy efforts.
The Bombabli engagement was rounded up with a meeting in Kalangba in Ngorwahun Chiefdom, where the Static Campaign team held a community engagement session on Friday.
Mr Jalloh encouraged the community leaders gathered at the Court Barray to ensure they seek conventional medical care and prevent themselves and their families from dying from preventable and treatable sicknesses.
The tour proceeds on Saturday with a visit to Koinadugu, then Falaba and then Karene.
