NGO Takes preventive Awareness to Taraba

The Wake Women and Youth Empowerment Initiative (Wake-WAYED), in partnership with the Society for Water and Sanitation (NEWSAN), on Saturday organised a malaria prevention sensitization for the water board community of Jalingo in Taraba state.


Pastor Favour Dafid, the CEO of Wake-WAYED, explained during the program that the organization was moved to carry out the sensitization, free testing and medication for the community due to her swampy situation that is prone to mosquitoes which causes malaria.

Pastor Dafid noted that the organization was out to assist prevent preventable diseases like pneumonia, malaria and others, especially against Pregnant women and children between the ages of 0-5, due to their low-capacity immune systems.

“Our desire is to ensure that communities in Taraba become malaria and other preventive diseases free. The idea of today’s sensitization to the water board community of Jalingo is due to the water nature of the area which is prompt to mosquito bites that cause malaria.

“After the awareness, we are going to carry out free testing, free medication to those whom may be infected with malaria.

“Our major target is women and children, especially pregnant women and children between the ages of 0-5 who’s immune system is low and can be easily infected by malaria,” the CEO explained.


Pastor Favour, while thanking the Federal Medical Center (FMC), Jalingo for her assistance, appealed for government support to enable the organization to reach out to more Communities in the state to eliminate the diseases.

Mr. Boniface Kosom, Taraba state coordinator, Society for Water and Sanitation (NEWSAN), noted during the event that the organization was out for the sensitization program in the community considering the danger associated with mosquitoes in the area.


“This community is bothering the riverbank which is prompt to mosquitoes that people in the area can easily be infected with malaria. Most communities around the waterside, considering the poor environmental hygiene of those areas, mosquito finds the areas as favourable for breeding,” he said

Reacting to the development, Mr Isa Muhammad the ward head (Mai-Angwa), of the water board community, commended Wake-WAYED for the initiative and described it as a life-saving program.

Muhammad said the awareness/ free testing and medication was a life-saving initiative that needed to be emulated by other organizations and encouraged by the government to do more to save lives.