How can the NNN address stronger advocacy for improved health care - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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How can the NNN address stronger advocacy for improved health care services for seasonal migrant workers in Ethiopia?

Cherinet Adera

KalaCORE Programme manager

September 2018

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How can the NNN address stronger advocacy for improved health care services for seasonal migrant workers in Ethiopia?

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Seasonal Migrant Workers: Under-prioritized and Under- protected

• During June-November weeding and

harvesting seasons, Metema and Humera lowland regions of Amhara and Tigray attract 300,000 - 500,000 seasonal migrant workers annually

• High risk of infection for diseases

including Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL), Lymphatic Filariasis (LF), malaria, TB, HIV as well as acquiring snakebites

• Risk of seasonal migrants taking

infections (leishmaniasis) back to their communities in the surrounding highlands, increasing the risk of

• utbreaks and with serious implications

for the NTD elimination agenda

• Example: Addis Zemen

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• The Horn of Africa (Sudan, S. Sudan, Ethiopia,

Kenya, Uganda and Somalia) harbors about 40% of the global VL burden (WHO: 9602 reported cases in 2015, underreporting rate 1.2–1.8)

• The annual burden of VL in Ethiopia is between 2000-

4500 cases

• 1465 VL patients were treated in 2017
• 905(61.8%) in Amhara region
• 368 (27.2%) in Tigray region

Example – Eastern Africa leishmaniasis burden

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• Migrant workers lead a difficult life when working on a farm:
• Sleeping outside without bednets open to the environmental elements
• Malnutrition is common among migrant farm workers
• Intensive working hours including during the night
• Poor access to safe water for drinking, cooking and personal

hygiene

• Poor access to treatment and diagnosis services and health

messaging on NTDs, e.g. for visceral leishamaniasis (VL) 61.8% of seasonal migrant workers had poor knowledge of on VL transmission and sandfly control

• Legislation in place on migrant workers’ rights to health care, shelter, clean

water etc while working on a farm, however in reality most are not able to access these rights.

Challenges: Working and Living Conditions

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• Share research results and lessons learnt to develop strategies

aligning NTD cross-sectorial stakeholders to develop advocacy tools to improve application of the labour laws for migrant workers access to health services, shelter and clean water; and to advocate for equitable work contracts.

Recommendations – Collaborative and Targeted Advocacy by NTD Community

• Inter-sectoral approach to develop

appropriate, targeted interventions to meet the needs of this vulnerable group

ntd-ngonetwork.org When spiderwebs unite, together they can tie up a lion

• Ethiopian proverb

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