Our COVID-19 Response in Haiti, South Sudan and Ukraine

Infection, Prevention and Control   
 

The first objective in our COVID-19 programs was to ensure that the healthcare facilities were prepared for a COVID-19 outbreak in their region. The DotW team carried out training sessions to prepare healthcare staff and community health workers on COVID-19. These sessions focused on IPC strategies (quarantine, isolation, etc) as well as providing information on the COVID-19 virus including its etiology, transmission, symptoms, risk, diagnosis and treatment. Staff were also trained on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), particularly within the context of COVID-19. 

Besides training healthcare staff on COVID-19, Doctors of the World donated Infection, Prevention and Control (IPC) supplies like PPE as well as medicine and medical equipment to the various healthcare facilities it supported in Haiti, Ukraine and South Sudan.  

Another key aspect of our COVID-19 response was raising community awareness by disseminating information about the virus to the public so that individuals were better equipped to recognize symptoms, prevent infection and seek out treatment. DotW prepared messages and presentations that were shared on the TV, radio, and across various social media platforms like Facebook. DotW had additionally partnered with local community leaders and organizations that could further amplify the message. 

In Ukraine, Doctors of the World organized phone consultations where individuals could call and receive the necessary information about COVID-19, as well as launched a video competition among children on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19. 

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Our COVID-19 Response in Haiti, South Sudan and Ukraine

Infection, Prevention and Control   
 

The first objective in our COVID-19 programs was to ensure that the healthcare facilities were prepared for a COVID-19 outbreak in their region. The DotW team carried out training sessions to prepare healthcare staff and community health workers on COVID-19. These sessions focused on IPC strategies (quarantine, isolation, etc) as well as providing information on the COVID-19 virus including its etiology, transmission, symptoms, risk, diagnosis and treatment. Staff were also trained on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), particularly within the context of COVID-19. 

Besides training healthcare staff on COVID-19, Doctors of the World donated Infection, Prevention and Control (IPC) supplies like PPE as well as medicine and medical equipment to the various healthcare facilities it supported in Haiti, Ukraine and South Sudan.  

Another key aspect of our COVID-19 response was raising community awareness by disseminating information about the virus to the public so that individuals were better equipped to recognize symptoms, prevent infection and seek out treatment. DotW prepared messages and presentations that were shared on the TV, radio, and across various social media platforms like Facebook. DotW had additionally partnered with local community leaders and organizations that could further amplify the message. 

In Ukraine, Doctors of the World organized phone consultations where individuals could call and receive the necessary information about COVID-19, as well as launched a video competition among children on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19. 

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Doctors of the World response to humanitarian crisis in Eastern DRC

The Democratic Republic of Congo is facing a multitude of compounding crises with serious consequences for the civilian population.
 
Political instability, chronic conflict, and natural hazards, like volcanic activity and flooding, have left a large part of the population in need of humanitarian assistance. 

Doctors of the World (DotW) has drawn its attention to one region where populations are left vulnerable to a variation of health and security disasters. In the Fizi Highlands, civilians have found themselves trapped between two conflicting territories: the Minembwe and Itombwe. The region has endured violence and armed conflict for over a decade, however in the spring of 2020, there was an escalation in violence between the Mai-Mai and the Banyamulenge communities. Civilians have been further targeted as human rights organizations report cases of murder, rape, burning of villages, and looting of livestock. In response, the Armed Forces of the DRC have mobilized in the areas of violence, in order to put an end to the fights between armed groups.

The consequences of the conflict have also resulted in forced displacement, lack of access to essential services like healthcare and sanitation, as well as impacted the population’s food security. The situation remains tense as this conflict has caused division of the population by ethnicity, and individuals are forced to continuously move between territories to avoid further violence. According to OCHA, about 39,700 persons (approx. 7,940 households) were displaced during the violence in this region. Many internally displaced persons (IDPs) have been separated from their homes since 2019 and returns remain very low. 

In response to these conflicts, Doctor of the World ran a project, funded by USAID, that used multi-sectoral lifesaving interventions targeting the most vulnerable conflict-affected individuals in Itombwe and Minembwe territories in. The sectors of focus for this project included health, nutrition, water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH), and protection.

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Cervical cancer: the cancer of inequalities

Cervical cancer is an unfortunate indicator of global health inequities. Worldwide, cervical cancer is the 4th most common cancer in women, with an estimated 604,000 new cases appearing in 2020. According to the WHO, of the 342,000 global deaths in 2020, about 90% occur in Low and Middle Income countries (LMIC). 

The tragic aspect of cervical cancer is that it is largely preventable. We estimate that more than 95% of cervical cancer cases are a result of a Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection, which is typically transmitted through sex. HPV is a group of more than 150 related viruses, although HPV 16 and HPV-18 are largely associated with increased risk of cervical cancer.  A HPV vaccine exists to protect against most types of HPV that are linked with cancer. However, the vaccine should be administered at a young age (between 9 to 12 years old)and up to 26 years old at the latest. 

Unfortunately, less than 30% of LMIC have introduced HPV vaccination and less than 3% of adolescents are vaccinated against HPV. The combination with low cervical cancer screenings means that many women do not find out about their HPV-related cervical cancer until it is too late, leading to hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths. According to the WHO, by 2030 it will kill more than 443,000 women per year in the world if no concrete action is taken urgently. 98% of these deaths will occur in developing countries, with 90% of them in sub-Saharan Africa.

Cervical cancer is indicative of health inequalities and gender inequalities. Its burden rests solely on women and girls. Globally it is the 4th most common cancer in women, despite being largely preventable in the first place. With vaccinations and screenings, more than 340,000 deaths could be prevented every year. 

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Doctors of the World: Community Approach to Health and Wellbeing

Democratic Republic of Congo 
Political turmoil, as well as chronic conflicts and humanitarian crises due to insecurity and violence, has deeply impacted the wellbeing of many in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The additional environmental hazards, including flooding and volcanic activity, has put many at risk without any access to care. In certain regions, the violence against civilians and the cases of human rights violations have increased significantly since 2020. The cases of gender-based violence have also increased by 73% since the previous year. 

In Kinshasa, the capital city of DRC, DotW has partnered with the local NGO Afia Mama. This NGO is a prominent figure at the community level and uses its platform to advocate for human rights and better sexual reproductive health (SRH), especially for women facing unwanted pregnancies. 

Through its partnership with Afia Mama, DotW has formulated a program that strengthens the supply of health services based on an approach adapted to young people, community mobilization, and advocacy, for legal access to family planning services. It is a staunch supporter of the Maputo Protocol, an international agreement that guarantees women’s rights, including  social and political equality with men, and improved autonomy in their health decisions and the termination of female genital mutilation. The program also works to bring schools together, to inform adolescents about their SRH and raises awareness about risks associated with clandestine abortions. Its primary goal is to reduce mortality linked to unsafe abortions that occuring in these communities. 

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World Population Day 2022

 
 
 
 
These mega trends have far-reaching consequences. They affect economic development, employment, income distribution, poverty and social protections. Women represent half of the world’s population and will play a vital part in building a better, more sustainable and equitable world. Doctors of the World will continue its fight for women’s rights, by advocating for equity and continuing its many programs that focus on supporting women, so that they can continue the important work that they do for our world. For those that would like to know more about World Population Day and the 2022 status of women’s rights, click on the link to see the United Nations publication: https://www.unfpa.org/data/world-population-dashboard

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