What is the real impact of Partners’ and ESMABAMA’s health support on people’s lives?
The access to basic services is still a challenge, both in the cities and even more in the communities. In health centers, the situation is similar, with frequent shortages of medicines and basic equipment to meet patients’ needs.
Faced with this situation, ESMABAMA rely on the support of Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) to provide medicines and laboratory equipment, which were previously only available in the district or central hospitals in Beira.
The health centers managed by ESMABAMA in Barada, Estaquinha and Magunde guarantee better care for the communities. As a result of this support, these are the centers with the highest flow of patients.
BMZ is also funding the construction of infrastructure, maternal waiting homes, homes for nurses and the construction of a large drug pharmacy in Mangunde.
Activists in Action: Impact of Awareness Raising on Access to Healthcare
Caritas Germany also ensures that the populations of these areas are properly sensitized through the intervention of its Accompaniment project activists distributed in many communities. By offering talks on Gender Based Violence (GBV), adherence to health centers, testing and compliance with medication, among other topics, people in the communities understand the importance of going to health centers.
The Mobile Hospital
In the communities, little access to (reliable) information affects people’s well-being. It was evident that mothers did not go to the health centers to ensure that their young children received their vaccinations; they only went to the centers in serious cases of illness. This scenario is changing due to the intervention of the COHEMO project, financed by Caritas Austria, which sensitizes families about the importance of taking their children to receive the drops and vaccines.
COHEMO collaborates with the government to facilitate access to these services through mobile brigades in the communities. Moreover, activists sensitize mothers to take their children to sign up for these services, ESMABAMA is the only government partner working in extremely remote communities, Caritas Austria Support ensures the mobilization of technicians and activists for vaccine campaigns to communities located more than 60 kilometers away from our mission headquarters. These campaigns administer vaccines against Polio, HPV, Tetanus (VAT), BCG, IPV, DPT+HepB+Hib, Rotavirus, PCV, Measles, COVID-19, as well as providing Albendazole and Vitamin A, for children and adults aged 0 to 23 years. Through the efforts of Cohemo’s 43 activists, ESMABAMA reaches 43 communities in the southern part of Sofala Province, where ESMABAMA concentrates its activities.
In total, we have 103 activists in the health sector, 43 of are supported by Caritas Austria, 25 by Caritas Germany and 35 by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
If it hadn’t been for ESMABAMA’s intervention, many mothers would still not be taking their children to receive their vaccinations. These are mothers from very distant communities, making it difficult to walk to the health center.
The technician also mentioned that many pregnant women don’t attend antenatal appointments due to the distance. As a result, their children don’t develop sufficient immunity and are therefore susceptible to contracting diseases, however with the support of different partners, ESMABAMA is gradually improving the quality of life of communities in the health sector. The continuity of this support and the commitment to providing better medical care conditions are essential priorities among the various activities developed by ESMABAMA to improve the well-being of communities in Southern Sofala.
