Community ownership: The local health center is our baby

In theory, community health committee (CODESA) members are respected community representatives with responsibilities for co-managing their area health center. IMA World Health and the ASSP (Access to Primary Health Care) Project are encouraging these representatives to explain to community groups the need and the benefits of community ownership of the health center and partnership with health center staff. To prepare for the information campaign, IMA and ASSP partner CARITAS Congo have organized a series of orientation workshops for CODESA members in six health zones.  

The aim is for these men and women to become key agents explaining the Community Health Endowment initiative and recruiting community groups to provide modest, but crucial, supplementary support to their health center.  Support will lower out of pocket costs for users, making it easier for cash-strapped villagers to get health center services when they need them.  It will also help the health center to ensure that medicines, key supplies and personnel are available to serve when people need them.

I just spent eleven days with colleague Pastor Ruben Ngalubenge in Kindu working with CARITAS Congo partners, coordinated by Dr. Cyprien Masaka.  Ruben led or directed 3 workshops while I observed and worked with CARITAS community development agents.  Frankly I keep expecting community leaders, health service workers and community groups themselves to be skeptical after years of humanitarian "projects" that seem to foster dependency and dysfunction.  Rather than offering material goodies, we are encouraging local communities to discover the resources and power that God has already given them and take the initiative themselves to stabilize and improve local health services.  People's enthusiasm continues to surprise me; they are ready to give it a try.

These pictures give a bit of the flavor of the CODESA workshops for the Alunguli, Kindu and Kailo Health Zones.

 One of the Sokolo Health Center nurses (left) shows Dr Masaka (center) and Jules Kepange Kaleka the beginnings of a model garden. Promoting modest home gardens for families with malnourished children has proved to be a simple, cheap, sustainable and very effective way to reduce malnutrition.

 Participants in the Alunguli orientation workshop for community health committee members.

Pastor Ruben Ngalubenge, IMA World Health consultant, leads a session of the Alunguli Health Zone orientation workshop. About 30 people representing 6 health center areas participated in the workshop.

Pastor Ngalubenge (right) asks a clarifying question as a health committee spokesman (left) presents his groups conclusions during a session of the Alunguli workshop.

Dieudonne Masumboko, principal community participation specialist for the provincial public health office, leads a session of the Kailo community health committee orientation workshop.

Dieudonnee Masumboko advises one group of community health committee members as they work on a Community Health Endowment information campaign for the health center area. IMA World Health and ASSP partner CARITAS Congo aim to help provincial health services to reestablish an effective positive leadership in provision of primary health care services.

 One of the Kailo community health committees puts on a skit depicting the first contact with the chief and community leaders in the Community Health Endowment information campaign. ASSP encourages community groups to organize small income-generating activities to supplement inadequate government and international aid support.

The composer of a jingle promoting community ownership of and involvement in the local health center leads the combined participants of the Kindu and Kailo Health Zones in singing at the end of the workshop.