Summary & Key Points
"The COMBINE-PMC project aims to evaluate a community-based distribution strategy for sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) by community health workers, as part of the chemoprevention of perennial malaria in children under two years of age."
As part of the implementation of the COMBINE-PMC project, a first Community Advisory Board (CAB) was organized in Bouaflé, with the participation of institutional, health, community, and religious stakeholders.
The COMBINE-PMC project aims to evaluate a strategy for community-based distribution of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) by community health workers, as part of the chemoprevention of perennial malaria in children under two years of age. This approach aims, among other things, to improve access to malaria prevention and adherence to preventive interventions within communities.
This initiative is led by a consortium associating the National Malaria Control Programs of Côte d'Ivoire and Togo, the PAC-CI Program, the CARESP in Togo, the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), and the University of Bordeaux.
Involving communities at the heart of the strategy
The establishment of the Community Advisory Board follows a co-construction workshop organized in May 2026. It responds to the desire to develop a community mobilization strategy adapted to local realities and sensitive to gender issues.
The CAB's mission is, among other things, to contribute to the definition, organization, implementation, and monitoring of community mobilization activities around the project.
The work focused on several major issues: understanding the community chemoprevention strategy and its articulation with the Expanded Program on Immunization, identifying obstacles to its adoption, and analyzing social and gender norms that may influence children's access to health services.
A participatory approach
The workshop was based on a participatory approach combining presentations, plenary exchanges, and group work. Participants discussed community awareness and mobilization mechanisms, the involvement of men in decisions related to children's health, and the empowerment of women.
The discussions also made it possible to identify the actors, tools, and communication channels likely to effectively support community mobilization actions.
The Council brought together representatives of the prefectural body, religious guides, the health district, the regional health directorate, community leaders, women's groups, community health workers, as well as representatives of the PNLP and PAC-CI. The workshop was held on July 27 and 28, 2026, at the prefecture of Bouaflé.
Towards a community mobilization plan
At the end of this process, the defined guidelines should serve as the basis for the first community awareness and mobilization activities of the project. A second CAB workshop is also planned to draw lessons from the first activities implemented and, if necessary, adapt the messages and approaches retained.
Through this approach, COMBINE-PMC places communities at the heart of reflection and action, with the ambition of promoting better appropriation of malaria prevention interventions in young children, while taking into account social realities and gender dynamics within households.
Christian Kouadio
Clinical Research Associate and Communications Manager at PAC-CI
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