麻豆约拍

People have been - understandably – very frightened by the threat of the new coronavirus COVID-19 in Sierra Leone. The country’s experience with Ebola in 2014-15 still feels very recent and its healthcare system is fragile; when the first cases of COVID-19 were announced, mis-trust and mis-information were rife, and our audiences were hungry for calm, accurate information they could trust.

Our popular Krio-language radio show, Tawa Fo Welbodi - which means ‘determined for health’— broadcasts weekly on partner radio stations around the country and is uniquely placed to help in this crisis.

In special editions of these shows, we have focused on the novel coronavirus and provided audiences with information about what it is, how it is spread, how to protect yourself, what symptoms are, and what to do if you or someone you know develop those symptoms.

Our challenge now is to meet audiences’ needs for information about the novel coronavirus, while continuing our important focus on malaria prevention - debunking myths and increasing awareness about malaria. Half the world is still at risk from this deadly disease, which is both preventable and treatable. There were more than 200 million new cases of the disease in 2018, and a child still dies of malaria every two minutes.

Adapt, adjust and continue

As the COVID-19 pandemic dominates headlines and thoughts, we are rapidly adapting to this new context. Our radio programmes continue to emphasise the importance of early testing and early treatment for malaria, and we are providing clear, detailed information about the symptoms of malaria versus the symptoms of COVID-19. We’re also providing guidance about when to report to hospital for malaria testing, and when to self-isolate and call the emergency line.

We also know, from our research and our experience during and after the Ebola crisis, that people tend to fear and stay away from hospitals at times such as this, and may turn instead to traditional medicine. Our programmes inform audiences about measures in place at malaria treatment centres to ensure patients’ safety and protection, and remind audiences about the dangers of relying on traditional medicines instead of modern treatments for malaria. We also give updates on planned national programmes, like the next distribution of insecticide treated nets.

Our Facebook page is the with over 500,000 followers; we are using this to post regular content from 麻豆约拍 Media Action's global response to COVID-19, including  and . We are also sharing and creating our own animations for our audiences about .

And we are sharing real stories, who are taking malaria prevention more seriously than ever, to continue to emphasise the importance of protecting ourselves against malaria, especially while the country is experiencing another public health emergency.

"While you are protecting yourself from COVID-19 you should also protect yourself from malaria… it kills fast" says Vandi Magona demonstrating the steps he takes to protect his family from malaria.

Dispelling fear and mistrust

We work hard to feature local voices, such as medical experts, local leaders or well-known entertainers, that people recognise and trust to help dispel fear. For this World Malaria Day, we will share a on our Facebook page from popular comedian Kindo Amani, who reminds audiences that it’s still important to work to prevent malaria and to seek early treatment.

And we continue to remind our audiences who is most at risk from malaria. Antenatal visits - where pregnant women receive intermittent preventative treatment - are as important as ever, as are vaccinations for children. We inform our audiences about the continued importance of these and how people can safely access them now.

These are unprecedented times, but we will continue to produce radio and social media content that people will engage with and most importantly trust about COVID-19 and about malaria – to ensure people know how to best protect themselves and their families.

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Mary Morgan is Head of Production for 麻豆约拍 Media Action, Sierra Leone

Learn more about our global response to COVID-19 here
Tawa Fo Welbodi is supported by Comic Relief and GSK, you can find out more about the project here.