Recap — CommunityFirst Approaches to Health Crises in Sierra Leone

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Published on February 16, 2023

On February 8, in a collaborative seminar with the Dahdaleh Institute and the SeeChange Initiative, Megan Corbett-Thompson (Community Fellow, Dahdaleh Institute) along with Jessica Farber and Osman Sow delivered an insightful seminar.

Megan began by introducing the CommunityFirst approach and framework when addressing critical humanitarian health crises; it is crucial to cultivate relationships with local community members and co-design solutions that can further the understanding of ongoing health issues within communities.

Osman then presented examples using the participatory methodology in Sierra Leone. He shares the COVID-19 action plan in Rowalla, Tonkolili where a health committee was established to promote the dissemination of health information and vaccine advocacy.

Finally, Jessica elaborated on the co-designing method with local communities through her experience working on the Médecins Sans Frontières’ (MSF) CommunityFirst TIC Pilot Project. MSF and local communities in Mile 91 and Magburaka, Tonkolili District, co-designed strategies to strengthen adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights.

The speakers demonstrate that this community-driven response to health crises can build effective, long-term solutions to health challenges and provide health education beginning at a grassroots level.

Watch the presentation below:

Connect with Megan here

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