IOM Volunteers in Akkar: A Community of Caretakers
An overview of the volunteer experience with IOM, with an emphasis on outreach efforts and valuable detection of cases + increase of immunization. Rich in quotes from official parties.
The volunteers on the bus are the pumping heart of the IOM transportation services. Their trained eyes and guiding presence motivate Akkar’s townsfolk to visit Public Health Centers to follow up on their checkups, pursue treatment, and achieve full immunization.
During 3 months, in parallel with IOM’s bus services and the awareness and outreach sessions, the percentage of immunization dropout significantly decreased. At the SPHCC, Salamtak Primary Health Care Center, Dr. Maryam Hussein, the general surgeon, revealed: “The percentage of immunization dropout is usually high for children under the age of 5 in Akkar…” she explained: “The child would receive the first recommended dose of the vaccine, yet miss the next recommended dose. We usually try to combat this by organizing outreach activities in refugee camps.” Similarly, the transportation service aims to reach areas that lack access to health care. 92% of parents using the transportation service for their children reported that their children received a vaccination from the PHC.
At the core of the IOM transportation service is community. The bus’s first timers are a result of a ripple effect, where one neighbor, Maram, a volunteer with IOM, coordinates with townsfolk to redirect them to the bus, to address their needs and to detect several cases in areas yet to be visited. Hala Bitar, the project coordinator shares: “When we were surveying areas we got redirected to, we visited a camp where we coincidentally found an urgent need! Three children, one of them a few months old, were suffering from dehydration because of food poisoning…if the bus wasn’t available to deliver them to immediate care…” This is not a strike of luck, there are various incidents where word of mouth saves people’s lives, and tight communities come to the rescue. Similarly, this project has allowed collaborations with government officials in the area to tend to health crises, like undrinkable water; this stops the spread of diseases at the root.
A lot can be revealed through small talk, relieving pressure from patients, and then equipping them with the right knowledge to kickstart their health awareness journey. On the bus, volunteers conduct awareness sessions where they elaborate on common symptoms and survey out whoever might have a similar experience, leading to proper diagnosis during a PHC visit. And at the PHC visit, Maram, a volunteer, speaks to patients who noticed the bus and its services. Nahia, from camp 1014, had walked with her neighbor a full hour and 30 min to arrive to the PHC. Maram collects her information, provides them with contact details, and promises Nahia a safer journey towards better healthcare.
The volunteers enjoy connecting with the people of various villages in Akkar. Batoul, a nursing student shares: “The opportunity to volunteer satisfied my civic duty and had led to my moral fulfilment. There is good communication and respect with the coordinators of the program.” She believes that the team should be strong on ground: “we can’t always express our frustration with the [economic and social] conditions, we need to stay motivated so we can serve them.” The IOM transportation service in Akkar is a bus of promised relief, of ease, of a pat on the back that you are in safe hands, and you will be taken care of, all managed by community members.
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