One morning in the small village of Tabac, 18 km from the city center of Kalemie in the province of Tanganyika, it is raining. The path leading to the vaccination site turns into a quagmire, but Thérèse Mauwa moves forward, determined to have her child vaccinated. Against her back, securely tied in a cloth, is her 5-month-old son. This is the first time she has brought her son to receive a vaccine.
For more than five months, the child had never been vaccinated. He was born while Thérèse was working in a remote field with no access to vaccines. It was a cruel choice: stay to grow crops and feed your children or leave your job to travel miles and vaccinate your newborn. Thérèse had no option. She stayed in the isolated bush, her baby in her arms, farming from morning to night.
A few days later, everything changed. Pimples appeared on her child’s body. Without knowing what he was suffering from, Thérèse felt fear rise. She left the field in a hurry and returned to Tobac congo. Two weeks later, through a community health worker (commonly referred to as relais communautaires or “RECOs” in the Democratic Republic of Congo) announcing the arrival of vaccination teams in the coming days to begin the vaccination of children through the periodic intensification of routine immunization (PIRI), she didn’t hesitate for a second to go to the announced vaccination site.
When the needle delicately pierces her child’s skin, Thérèse finally breathes.
Like her, other women in Tanganyika tell of their journeys marked by distance, lack of information and the heavy work of farming. The days are long; survival depends on every hour spent in the field and health services are often too far away. Many simply did not have the financial means to bring their children to the health center, even though they knew its importance. These impossible choices shape daily life.
Sabrina Elisabeth, a resident of Kasese within the Kalemie health zone, gave birth at the health center. But a few weeks later, she had to move to a remote area to find work.
She stayed there for several months, far from health services, depriving her child of essential doses.
“It is a great joy for me to have my child vaccinated today. I know the importance of vaccines, but where I was, there was no way to have my child vaccinated. I came so that he could be vaccinated and protected against diseases,” said Sabrina.
Women at the vaccination of their children at the Tabac Congo health center. Photo Credit: Patrick Kahondwa
Thanks to outreach and mobile vaccination teams and the commitment of RECOs, these mothers are once again able to protect their children.
“We raise awareness so that parents understand that the vaccine is important for their children. There are those who accept and others who refuse, but we don’t give up. We identify all unvaccinated children in the community and give them tokens for vaccination. We arrive at households and ask if the child has already received the vaccine. We also identify pregnant women within the community so that they are prepared for the vaccination of their children,” says Matongo Risasi, a RECO in Tabac.
Little by little, the dedication of everyone involved with PIRI is bringing hope and smiles to mothers in Tanganyika.