Pro-Femmes Twese Hamwe (PFTH) has told community health workers locally known as Abajyana b’ubuzima to strengthen usage of Rapid SMS alert as a mechanism to prevent medicine stock out.

Pro-Femmes Twese Hamwe (PFTH) is an umbrella organization working for the advancement of women, peace, and development, but also fight against HIV, Malaria and Tuberculosis in Rwanda.

Since 2019, the organization intensified contribution to country’s efforts to end Malaria by 2030 through behavior change campaigns, prevention and treatment.

In this endeavor, Pro-Femmes Twese Hamwe is funded by the Global Fund through CCM Rwanda.

“The behavior change campaign has been conducted in Malaria hotspots to prevent the disease, starting with training Community Health Workers who in turn would train their neighbors,” said Deogratias Ndagijimana, Provincial coordinator at Pro-Femmes Twese Hamwe.

The volunteering Community Health Workers were trained on preventing stagnant water, slashing bushes around their homes and seeking early treatment.  

“Most importantly, we trained Community Health Workers on how to avoid medicine stockout so as to remain relevant whenever they are requested to entervene,” Ndagijimana further said.

On top of these, they were trained on quick reporting by using available tech methods including the Rapid SMS alert for quick response.

The project (Rapid SMS alert) was first modeled in Musanze District in 2009 and after its trial; it was rolled out across the country in 2012.

Community Health Workers use USSD network patterns that do not require internet or fee charges to report the case at the nearest health centre for quick action. The technology is installed in 60,000 community health workers’ phones.

The Rapid SMS alert is among government methods that have contributed to the reduction of malaria death and severe cases in the country.

In 2015/16, Rwanda recorded 18,000 severe malaria cases.

However, in 2019/2020, the number declined to 4,000 cases before dropping further to 2,500 cases in 2020/21.