By Bernice Bessey
Delta Air Lines, in collaboration with the Ghana Red Cross Anti-Malaria Campaign, has adopted year-long house-to-house programme to educate the general public on the importance and use of treated mosquito nets in the Greater Accra Region. The programme, which was launched in February this year, is expected to recruit over 80 volunteers, who will be trained to undertake the exercise.
“We are happy to be making progress in this collaboration. Malaria, undoubtedly, is one of the most common diseases, and the cause of a number of deaths in several African countries, including Ghana,” commented Bobby Bryan, Delta Air Lines’ Commercial Manager for East and West Africa.
“As an international company with a strong presence in the country, the wellbeing of its people, especially women and children, and their freedom from Malaria, is of great concern to us. We wish all the volunteers well in their assignments.”
Madam Beatrice Adama Idrisu, a nurse from the Ussher Policlinic in Accra, who conducted the first part of the one-day volunteer training, stated: “Malaria is one of the most common diseases in the country which kills several people each year. I am very glad to see all these volunteers here today, because this campaign will go a long way to help control and reduce the high occurrence of the disease in the country.”
The second part of the training session was conducted by Mr. Thomas Aapore, Event Coordinator of the Ghana Red Cross Society. He expressed his delight about the partnership with Delta Air Lines, and stated that they were looking forward to educating and positively impacting on the lives of residents of the localities which will be visited, so that more companies will be encouraged to follow Delta’s remarkable example.
Another training session would soon to be held in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region. The campaign, which has been developed to last through the rest of the year, will see a mass distribution of 4,000 Long Lasting Insecticide Nets (LLIN) in the country, starting from the Nima locality in the Greater Accra Region, with a total number of 8,000 beneficiaries.
This campaign is in alignment with the Ghana Health Service’s goal to curb the high rates of malaria.
Delta has operated services to Ghana since December 2006, and now operates services to five African cities in five countries.