Expectations High that Cholera Cases in Mangochi Schools Will Decrease with Donation of Sanitary Buckets

Malawi: Thanks to the Koche Water Users Association's kind donation of 30 hygienic plastic water buckets worth K120,000, Makawa and Koche primary schools in Mangochi District are hopeful that the number of cholera cases among their students will decline (KWUA), writes Martha Gama.

He added that the school has an enrollment of over six thousand and the donation from KWUA will help to contain and manage the disease at both the school and community levels.

Hendrix Kam'themba, a representative of the head teacher at Koche Model Primary School, echoed Sambani's sentiments.

The donation of 30 sanitary plastic buckets has been divided between the two schools, with each receiving 15 buckets from KWUA.

Kam'themba thanked KWUA for the donation and called for more support from well-wishers. He noted that the School Improvement Grant (SIG) alone is not enough to contain the pandemic and the school's enrollment.

KWUA Scheme Manager Hendrix Kakowa-Banda explained that as a community, they are duty-bound to support the government in making sure that people are getting their needs met and are helped in dealing with problems they are facing.

He emphasized that cholera is jeopardizing the promotion of the country's developments as figures continue to peak on a daily basis, putting people's lives at risk.

In November 2022, Mangochi District Council Chief Prevention Officer Doctor Kondwani Mamba indicated that Makawa and Maldeco were hotspot areas of the outbreak in the district, and currently, Mangochi ranks on top of the districts recording more cases in the country.

This development comes amid reports that the country has run out of cholera vaccines, and Ministry of Health spokesperson Adrian Chikumbe has appealed to the general public to follow the proper preventive measures being championed by health workers countrywide.