Programs action medeor

A major problem: the healthcare system in South Kivu is severely underfunded, meaning that healthcare facilities lack the supply of medicines, medical equipment and often even the necessary premises. It is particularly difficult to find qualified medical staff in remote locations. The costs of treatment are passed on to patients. As a result, many people are denied access to healthcare services due to poverty. The resulting lack of healthcare means that even easily treatable diseases often go undetected and untreated.

The DR Congo has one of the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the world. The high neonatal and infant mortality rates are mainly due to malaria, malnutrition, neonatal diseases and acute respiratory and diarrheal diseases. At the same time, birth complications are the main cause of death for women between the ages of 15-29. Malnutrition is a major driver of many other diseases, especially in children whose immune systems are not yet fully developed.

Another major health problem in the DR Congo is malaria: on the African continent, only Nigeria has more deaths from malaria than the DR Congo. The country is one of the high-risk areas for malaria, the disease occurs here all year round and is often very severe, particularly due to the widespread malnutrition and undernourishment. Despite the high risk of malaria, many infections in the project area remain untreated. This is partly due to a lack of financial resources, but also to a lack of knowledge among the population about prevention and treatment options. As a result, many children with malaria symptoms are not tested and treated accordingly.

The project: Treating and preventing malnutrition and malaria

The joint project of action medeor and the local partner organization AEO/CNA includes various measures to improve mother-child health in the project region in eastern DR Congo - with a special focus on the prevention and treatment of malnutrition and malaria.

The first project component involves the provision of cost-effective yet high-quality healthcare. In order to achieve this, health facilities will be equipped with medical equipment, medicines and therapeutic food as well as medical devices for carrying out pregnancy and child examinations. This is accompanied by training courses for medical staff on the topics of antenatal care, malaria treatment and malnutrition and undernourishment.

Support is provided not only to the larger hospitals in the region, but also to the surrounding smaller health centers, which serve as a first point of contact, carry out preventive work, treat minor illnesses and refer more serious cases. By strengthening the health facilities in this way, cases of malaria and malnutrition can be treated appropriately. In addition, the beneficiary health centers will be able to offer improved antenatal care and obstetric care.

The second component of the project is prevention work. The teams from the local partner organization carry out prevention events to inform the population about treatment options and prevention of diseases such as malaria and malnutrition. For these awareness-raising measures, teams of health workers are deployed who have good connections to the local village communities and create an important bridge between the population and the health structures. These teams are trained in various health topics and equipped for their work. Together with staff from the health centers, the health workers also carry out home visits and information campaigns for young parents as well as vaccination campaigns and check-ups for small children.

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