Deworming Campaign Boosts The Health Of 85,000 Children In Mozambique

A partnership between the Ministry of Health and the Consortium led by World Vision, the Partnering for Sustainable Education Outcomes (PARES) project conducted a deworming campaign that benefited over 85,000 children in Nampula and Zambezia provinces in northern and central regions of Mozambique.

The initiative, now in its second time, aims to prevent parasitic infections and it targeted 157 primary schools, currently, contemplated with daily provision of school meals.

“The campaign intends to prevent diseases, improve better absorption of nutrients for children who receive school meals, and mitigate the potential risk of malnutrition and anemia,” explained Estela Consula, PARES Health and Nutrition Manager.

Along with deworming, children were medically screened for skin diseases, sight and hearing impairments, being referred to local clinics if further assistance was required. In addition, girls approaching puberty receive iron supplementation.

In schools, the albendazole medication used for deworming is known for its child-friendly sweet taste. Each pupil receives one tablet enough to prevent or treat infections caused by various types of worms.

“The doctors came to our school to distribute medication that helps to kill worms in our bellies”, explained Janet, grade 6 student from Milange district, in Zambézia province.

“When the campaign was a new thing in the district, children were scared and ran away from school on deworming days,” Remembered Estêvão, a School Principal.

“With more community awareness, we are making progress in terms of child wellbeing. In previous years many children had problems with intestinal worms, and at some point, this impaired their growth,” he added.

The deworming campaigns and medical screenings are aligned with PARES strategic goal of increasing the use of health and dietary practices, focusing on access to preventive health interventions.

By enabling access to vital preventive health services, PARES project ensures that children in target areas can grow healthy and strong.

PARES is a consortium led by World Vision Mozambique in partnership with the National School Feeding Program of the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Centre of Learning and Capacity Building of Civil Society, Catholic Relief Services and the International Food Policy Research Institute. The McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program of the United States Department of Agriculture funds the project.