By Elijah Khisa
Pupils of Louise Junior School in Bukomansimbi District have used speeches, poems and skits to raise awareness about the burden of malaria and the importance of prevention at household and community levels.
The pupils showcased their presentations during the Bukomansimbi District Community Malaria Day celebrations held at Louise Junior School, highlighting how malaria affects household incomes, disrupts education, reduces productivity and undermines communities’ participation in economic empowerment programmes.
The event attracted more than 600 participants, including pupils, students, business and community representatives, religious leaders, civil society organisations and Rotary club members, among other stakeholders.
Bukomansimbi District malaria focal person Dr Cyprus Kipako urged parents and community leaders to strengthen malaria prevention efforts by encouraging families to seek prompt testing, obtain appropriate treatment and participate in routine malaria vaccination activities.
He commended the Rotary Club of Nabbingo, led by its president Agnes Namiiro Mugoya, for supporting a four-month Child-to-Family malaria prevention campaign implemented by WotaDev Initiatives.
The campaign selected 350 pupils from Louise Junior School to participate in a pilot project aimed at equipping children with knowledge and skills to spread malaria prevention messages to their families and surrounding communities. The district-level celebrations marked the climax of the four-month initiative.
Dr Kipako said the project had helped more parents and community members receive malaria prevention messages through the pupils and encouraged households to adopt preventive practices.
He added that the campaign had helped address misconceptions about malaria while strengthening cooperation between schools and communities.
However, he noted that malaria remained a major public health challenge in Bukomansimbi, requiring sustained and coordinated efforts by government, development partners, schools and communities.
Bukomansimbi District Town Clerk Kabuye Abbey said the campaign had helped bring schools and communities together to promote informed decisions on malaria prevention.
He observed that malaria continued to claim lives, particularly among children, while imposing a financial burden on households through treatment costs, lost working days and reduced productivity.
The chairperson of the Bukomansimbi District Head Teachers Association, Nagawa Agili, who represented the District Education Officer and District Inspector of Schools, commended Louise Junior School for taking on additional responsibilities and mobilising stakeholders to support the campaign.
Nagawa described the initiative as timely, noting that it had helped communities understand the importance of sleeping under mosquito nets distributed by government and development partners.
She also highlighted the potential of schools to drive positive change by equipping learners with knowledge they can share with their families and communities.
The school director, Christopher Ssekikuubo, accompanied by headmistress Josephine Nakibiuka, thanked the project partners for selecting Louise Junior School to pilot the Child-to-Family approach.
Ssekikuubo said the initiative had motivated the school to continue spreading malaria prevention messages to neighbouring educational institutions so that more households could benefit.
Malaria Partners Uganda programme manager Eva Kagona also commended the team for implementing the project as planned, noting the importance of translating the Child-to-Family approach into practical activities involving learners, households and the wider community.
Rotary Club of Nabbingo president Agnes Namiiro Mugoya praised the teachers for their commitment, hard work and guidance throughout the programme.
She said the teachers had helped pupils understand the campaign messages and communicate them confidently through their presentations.
Mugoya presented appreciation tokens to teachers and cash tokens to the campaign champions in recognition of their participation and leadership. She also thanked the partners for providing technical and logistical support to the initiative, which was spearheaded by the Rotary Club of Nabbingo and implemented by WotaDev Initiatives.
Child-to-Family approach
The Child-to-Family (C2F) model equips schoolchildren with the knowledge and skills to promote malaria prevention at home and within their communities.
Under the approach, learners become agents of change by sharing information with parents, guardians, siblings, neighbours and other community members to encourage the adoption of preventive measures.
The project directly benefited 350 learners and indirectly reached about 550 families, potentially impacting more than 1,500 people with information on malaria prevention, early detection and appropriate management of the disease.
Malaria remains one of Uganda’s leading public health challenges and contributes to illness, school absenteeism, preventable deaths and reduced productivity.
Children are particularly vulnerable, with repeated infections disrupting their education and placing additional financial pressure on families through treatment expenses and lost working days.
Project partners say empowering children with malaria prevention knowledge can help bridge the gap between awareness and action by encouraging households to adopt practices that reduce infections and improve community health.
