Community conservation is a multi-disciplinary effort that typically involves diverse stakeholders, all working towards the common goal of empowering the community.
The well-being of the local community is important to ensure that there is an inseparable connection between community health and conservation.
Through a partnership with the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders like the Kenya Red Cross Society, and CHASE Africa, Save the Elephants plays a crucial role in bridging the gap in access to services for those who face significant barriers to medical care. By assessing the health needs of communities and directing them towards appropriate services, we are enabling these communities to function more effectively.
Belinda Omollo introducing STE during a Community Health Dialogue in Sagalla © Meha Kumar
Baseline surveys during Community Health Dialogues are carried out by local community health volunteers to determine the exact needs of the villagers and help address their specific needs. While this is being done, the community gains a greater appreciation of co-existing with elephants since support is received from STE. Belinda Omollo (Community Outreach Assistant at Elephants & Bees Research Centre) together with the community outreach team have taken on the responsibility of ensuring that the community comprehends the connection between STE’s conservation efforts and community health.
Service provision entails boosting commodities in health facilities and facilitating backpack nurses for outreach and home visits by Community Health Volunteers (CHVs). Backpack nurses cover a broad spectrum of care, including maternal and newborn care, access to contraceptives, and prevention and treatment of other related sexually transmitted diseases. Priority is given to the vulnerable in communities such as infants, pregnant women and the elderly.
The household visits enable the local health volunteers to make referrals to facilities in some instances for further medical assistance. The implementation of home visits has also resulted in reduced travel distance for individuals and a notable decrease in human-wildlife conflicts in the region.
Health Dialogue conducted in a community in Sagalla © Belinda Omollo
CHVs training is facilitated to increase service delivery in dispensaries and so far, STE has supported 33 CHVs in dispensaries from 2 Community Health Units (Kirumbi and Kajire) in Sagalla. CHVs also get an opportunity to present the challenges they experience in their work and offer recommendations for better service delivery to the community through review meetings with the county and sub-county health teams. In March 2023, STE in partnership with the Department of Health Services, Taita Taveta County and CHASE Africa facilitated a Community Health Volunteer Basic Technical modules training.
A Health Talk Session conducted by Belinda Omollo at Kirumbi Primary School, Sagalla © Esther Serem
School health education is also offered to create awareness with the extended goal of establishing a secure platform where students can openly discuss matters affecting their environment and themselves. Learners acquire knowledge of personal hygiene, environmental hygiene, and sexual & reproductive health problems. The current generation is empowered and inspired to become future conservationists through sustainable education.
Facilitating frequent community health dialogues is also among the ways of engaging the community. Dialogues serve as influential platforms that are carried out to disseminate vital information and raise awareness regarding matters such as sexual and reproductive health rights. The techniques utilized for conducting dialogues encompass a range of methods, including focus group discussions, flip charts, Q&A sessions, lectures, demonstrations, short clips, and role plays. In these interactive sessions, a platform is offered for them to get together and discuss community issues as well.
CHV Training session conducted by Ministry of Health in Sagalla © Belinda Omollo
Since the project was initiated, one of the very important topics discussed in these sessions is debunking cultural misconceptions and myths surrounding health issues such as immunization, HIV/AIDS and family planning.
Health centres have the potential to significantly enhance the range of social programs that can be leveraged to tackle the challenge of safeguarding natural resources, creating awareness and in our case, reducing Human-Elephant Conflict.