Government In A One – Day Training For Facilitators

Abia State Government has held a One – Day training for facilitators who will train Community Volunteers on how to carry out deworming excercise for the forthcoming Abia State In – School Deworming Programme in public and private schools in six selected LGAs of the State.

Declaring the Training open, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Vulnerable Groups and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs. Ifeoma Thomas said
the essence of the In-School Deworming Programme was to ensure those persons who are vulnerable and unreachable especially in the rural areas of the State are reached with deworming programme.

She explained that the deworming excercise is a pilot programme for children in primary one to junior seconddary schools in 6 selected LGAs including Ohafia, Bende, Ikwuano, Isialangwa South, Obingwa and Osisioma. According to her the Ministry of Health is capturing ages 0 to 5 in its deworming programmes but the In – School Deworming Programme is capturing a unique demography of children aged 6 to 14 years.

Mrs. Thomas, who said that government was dedicated to serving and uplifting vulnerable groups including the internally displayed persons, the elderly, children and those experiencing abject poverty and ensure their voices are heard and their rights protected thanked the Wife of the Governor for her concern on the vulnerable people and appreciated
some partners including civil society organizations,donor agencies ,SMOH, CARITORS, ANRIN, SOLINA, HSCL and HOPE SPRING for their collaborations.

Also speaking, the acting Executive Secretary, Abia State Primary Healtcare Development Agency , Mrs. Gladys Ike said training is aimed at deepening the understanding of the trainees about deworming excercise. She said worm infestation is always common among children, hence they are being targeted for the event. She said it is way of helping humanity and urged them to listen carefully so as the training would be an impactful one.

The Co-Facilitators, Mr. Okorie Lawrence and Mrs. Caroline Charles said the trainees would go into the LGAs as facilitators and train others who would in turn go to schools to provide the deworming services and advised the trainees to pay attention and take the training very seriously.

They said that the World Bank projects have concentrared on 0 to 5 years while the Abia State government through the In – School Deworming Programme wants to fill in the gap to ensure every child in Abia is dewormed, adding that the programme is for children between 6 to 14 years of age.