Access Bank educates communities on World Mosquito Day

Access Bank has shown its commitment to giving back to the communities across Nigeria, through partnerships with other private enterprises, supporting the work of non-profit organizations dedicated to improving the lives of the disadvantaged through outreach programmes, funding and infrastructural development and peer to peer education. It also partners with the government to advocate for causes that affect citizens every day. World Mosquito day is one of those causes.

 August 20^th 2018, the annual World Mosquito Day, was chosen to recognize the role the insect plays in the spread of diseases like Malaria, Yellow Fever and most recently the Zika Virus that spread through Africa and Europe and caused a global pandemic. In Nigeria, we commemorate World Mosquito Day for its relation to Malaria tropical disease endemic to the country.

Malaria is a major health concern in Nigeria, causing an average of 6000 deaths each year, predominantly women and children. Because it affects all Nigerians, the government and private organizations understand how important it is to contribute their own quota to fighting and eradicating the disease.

The Corporate Alliance of Malaria in Africa (CAMA) is an association of private corporations and businesses who have chosen to pool their financial resources and skill to contribute to the fight against Malaria. To push for the control and eventual eradication of Malaria in Nigeria. CAMA does this through partnerships with GBC Health, civil society stakeholders and non-government organizations who are also dedicated to the cause.

Access Bank as a member of the CAMA and a co-chair on the organization’s board, participated fully in this year’s commemoration and steered the conversation around corporate participation in the eradication of malaria. Through this position, Access Bank has been able to introduce innovative ideas geared towards the control of the disease.

This year, Access Bank partnered with CAMA, GBC Health and HACEY Health Initiative to run a series of awareness programmes across Lagos state. The purpose of these field visits were to engage the indigent communities in Ilaje Bariga, Ibafo local government community, Ajegunle Ikorodu community and Ebute-meta community, educating them on the dangers of Malaria and the preventive measures that are available to protect themselves from mosquitoes, the primary carrier of the disease.

Through the HACEY Health Initiative, Access Bank brought doctors to the chosen communities to run spot tests and distribute treated mosquito nets, a primary tool in the prevention of Malaria. They also received vital information from the guest doctors on how their personal habits and practices could make them susceptible to infection. The doctors also listened to the community’s health concerns and provided answers during a Q&A session.

Also, to celebrate this year’s World Mosquito Day, Access Bank and CAMA visited popular radio station, Nigerian Info FM in Lagos, to talk about the mosquito and how it threatens health and progress, and must be properly protected against through safe practices and persistent education.

Access Bank remains continually committed to the eradication of diseases, and the overall health of Nigerians and will continue to support initiatives like the World Mosquito Day that address the problem head on.