Participatory approach in production of information, education and communication materials for enhancement of community ownership and sustainability of community directed treatment with ivermectin for onchocerciasis control in Cross River State, Nigeria

Abstract

Onchocerciasis remain one of the scourges that causes blindness and dermal problems in tropical Africa, Nigeria is said to harbor 7million of the 40 million cases found world wide (1). One of the strategies adopted in addressing low community participation in Community Directed Treatment with Ivermentin CDI aimed at reducing this scourge in some communities of Cross River State Nigeria, is the intensification of community mobilization and sensitisation using Information, Educational and Communication IEC materials. Initial experiences from the health education campaign showed that the IEC materials used in he area were no sensitive enough to arouse the interest of the target population in CDTI. A participatory approach that entailed involving the members of the target communities in the conception, design, and pre-testing stages of posters was adopted. It was observed that the posters produced by the target communities were better appreciated than those centrally production without the participation of community members. It was obvious that the centrally produced posters did not adequately address the social-cultural characteristics of the target audience. Also, in the posters produced by participatory approach , issues such as community role and adherence to treatment for several years were better highlighted. These massages were considered very crucial to the sustainability of CDTI. The new posters elicited the desired effects towards community ownership, viability and continuity of communication. The Nigerian Journal of Parasitology Vol. 24 2003: 17-24