DEPTFORD, New Jersey — As many communities struggle with COVID-19, volunteers in Nigeria are stepping up to the challenge. In the Kano region, for example, community leaders spurred residents of the local communities to get tested for COVID-19. Lagos has hosted contact training programs to educate local communities. These programs have allowed members to care for their own community directly, which helped to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Volunteers in Nigeria have been trained to challenge dangerous misinformation and to provide help in contact tracing and testing.
Community Leaders Leading Testing
Local health officials noted that COVID-19 testing turnout in Kano was low. Misinformation had cheapened the impact of COVID-19, which led to some people denying its existence entirely. Health officials needed residents to submit to testing but they worried these beliefs would impede their goal. Community leaders in Kano motivated the members of their community to get tested for COVID-19. In June 2020, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) selected Zango and Dorayi wards for a state-wide sample collection. NCDC hopes that this sample collection will serve to Curb COVID-19 cases in the nation as a whole.
However, the positive response from the communities surprised health officials. The actions of local leaders, who explained to their communities why participating in testing is important, spurred the response. Involvement was spread across diverse demographics, with imams, women, youth leaders and family members encouraging testing. Alhaji Mohammed Rabiu Mahmud, a community leader in the Zango ward, reported success in the mobilization efforts. Volunteers collected 2,200 samples across the span of four days in Zango and Dorayi.
Educating the Public and Contact Tracing
Lagos has seen the largest number of COVID-19 cases, accounting for one-third of the nation’s cases as of December 2020. Misinformation makes the spread of the disease worse. Distrust between citizens, health authorities and the Nigerian government have impaired reduction efforts. Education has been vital in increasing public awareness about the dangers of COVID-19 and of the safest practices to follow.
To combat this, Nigeria developed programs to teach volunteers how to contact trace and how to combat harmful and misleading information. The volunteers in Nigeria express the value of COVID-19 reduction methods, encourage proper hygiene, social distancing and the use of face masks in their communities. Volunteers explained to contacts how to safely self-isolate and use personal protective equipment (PPE). The volunteers in Nigeria have access to resources at the local, state and federal levels. Nigeria hopes these volunteers will curb the spread of infection in the difficult-to-reach regions of small communities.
In the beginning months of the pandemic, Nigeria’s National Orientation Agency (NOA) headed the campaign to monitor COVID-19 transmission in the nation. NOA’s work focused heavily on tracking down those who have traveled abroad to keep communities safe. With a large task to tackle, UNICEF stepped in to provide support. UNICEF also aided in the training of contact tracers. The training programs taught how to identify potential cases and advised on how to provide psychosocial support to those struggling with self-isolation.
Rising to the Challenge
Volunteers in Nigeria are doing vital work that can be incredibly demanding. Contact tracers, for instance, are responsible for monitoring more than 60 people daily. To accomplish this challenging task, contact tracers built trust with many people to alleviate any doubts that they have and address any potential concerns people might have. Although challenging, contact tracers like Zarina Chidama embrace the work. She believes the necessary work is “a call to serve the people and the nation at large.”