Kerema group undergo Covid awareness workshop

FORTY-SEVEN participants in the nine wards of the Kerema urban local level government (KULLG) participated in a Covid-19 awareness workshop at the Kerema General Hospital on Monday. The awareness was carried out under the risk communication and community engagements (RCCE) programme by a team of experienced nurses, aimed at encouraging locals to practice safety measures of the Covid-19 in the community. RCCE awareness team leader Sr Lucy Kalep explained that the awareness programme began last May and had reached health staff in Gulf before advancing to the communities. “With the health workers, our training was to ensure that information on the Covid-19 was disseminated within our working environment,” she said.  “As for today’s training awareness, it was to bring our local leaders, youth and women representatives together and disseminate more information so that they can, in turn, carry our awareness in their communities.” Sr Kalep said the awareness workshop was in line with their partnership with the World Health Organisation, World Bank, United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund, the Gulf health authority and their recent joint partner, Touching the Untouchables. She said this was the first training they successfully carried out for local leaders in the KULLG and expected to branch out more into other LLGs of Gulf’s six districts. RCCE workshop team member Sr Lilian Laho explained that it was important to know the risks and infections in order to prevent and control the spread of the Covid-19 in the community.  She said an effective way to disseminate information was to train community leaders.
The RCCE team is expected to conduct another workshop for leaders from the Kerema Central local level government before moving to LLGs of Malalaua and then to Kikori.