Project Title : Enhancing Women’s Role in the Control of Vector-Borne Diseases
Start Date: 2021-09-01
End Date: 2024-10-01
Institution
Team
Damaris Matoke-Muhia, Emma Orefuwa
Funding
https://www.pamca.org/en
Executive Summary
Women play a pivotal role in society and are often key agents of change in programs to combat public health challenges. Women face specific barriers at work and in the communities that may include exclusion from participating in decision making, discrimination, lack of protection and fewer opportunities for career progression. Strengthening the capacity of women in vector control, promoting their participation in leadership, and advancing their participation in disease management will contribute to better outcomes in the control of VBDs.
The Pan-African Mosquito Control Association (PAMCA) is committed to strengthening women’s participation and leadership in VBDs control and elimination initiatives in Africa. Through the Women in Vector control (WIVC), PAMCA seeks to achieve this through mobilizing expertise and consolidate the pool of technically skilled women who can make equal contribution towards VBDs relevant research and implementation.
Furthermore, the program is envisaged as producing the critical mass of experts who will more actively promote participation of grassroots, community-based non-professional women in VBD control initiatives for both protecting their communities and income generation. By addressing the unique set of challenges African women face, more women will have their potential realized within the vector control space, ultimately shoring up human resource capital for health in Africa, and ultimately accelerating progress towards the elimination of malaria and other VBDs.
The WIVC program is established to enhance the role of women in the control of VBDs in Africa. The bigger vision of the WIVC program is to accelerate the progress of malaria elimination in SSA as envisaged in the WHO’s Global Technical Strategy (GTS) for Malaria 2016-2030 and SDG (Goal 3), which seeks a reduction in malaria transmission and deaths by up to 90% by 2030.
The program’s primary outcome is to have African women with capability (skills, technical knowhow), confidence, and support to access opportunities for advancing their career in vector control, further, contribute to sustainability in the vector control & elimination programs in the continent.