Taking the Longwe
Nsipe, Malawi — Come rain or shine, Wellings Longwe rides his bike. When it rains, the roads turn from rutted clay paths to puddles of reddish soup. Longwe’s bike tires splash so much mud onto him that he jokes he might as well leave his shirt at home.
Longwe works as a Health Surveillance Assistant, a community health worker, in Nsipe, a rural community in the heart of the central district Ntcheu. Longwe’s job is to provide basic health care services and information to women and young children within his community. Oftentimes, he has to travel far distances by bike, to bring healthcare to his patients.
Follow the ride-along with Wellings.
Health Surveillance Assistants, like Longwe, play a critical role in bridging the divide between citizens and health centers. In a country where maternal and infant mortality—are so high, access to better care saves lives.
It’s not unusual for Longwe to face obstacles off the road too, especially in the attitudes of his patients. Longwe often struggles with the intersection of traditional beliefs and good health practice.
It’s not unusual for Longwe to face obstacles off the road too, especially in the attitudes of his patients. Longwe often struggles with the intersection of traditional beliefs and good health practice.
Longwe attributes his success in overcoming this barrier to the Community Score Card – an approach that brings community members, health providers and local officials together to discuss and find solutions to community health issues.
This Score Card process allows communities to speak directly to their service providers about issues that prevent them from seeking care. It also allows health providers to share with communities the challenges they face in providing care.
Longwe believes that this honesty and openness changed the entire community of Nsipe. He and the community at large are more committed than ever to the health of Malawi’s women.
One issue of particular importance to Longwe’s work is the issue of women giving birth at home. Many complications can occur during labor and birth. These complications can be better identified, managed and referred by a nurse in a health facility.
According to the Malawi DHS 2010 report, “Increasing the percentage of births delivered in health facilities is an important factor in reducing deaths arising from the complications of pregnancy.”
Longwe makes sure to communicate this information with his community.
“A lot of women who give birth at home die from childbirth or their babies die during the child birth process,” Longwe said. “So with the coming in of our health center and what we teach in the villages we have seen a reduction in maternal deaths.”
The community of Nsipe and health providers like Longwe report that commitment of services providers has increased by 23% in the village since the Score Card process began, bringing services and information closer to the community.
Knowing the importance of his job makes Longwe even more committed to it. “I love working in the medical field because when I see how people are struggling,” he said. “I am happy when I help them.”
When Longwe bikes home to his family after a long day of work, he’s heading to his wife and four kids, two of whom are daughters. Longwe continues to work toward a better world for his daughters in which their health is a priority.
“My first born child was a girl and I loved her dearly because the females are the ones that carry the next generation,” Longwe said.
