DUSHANBE, August 20, Asia-Plus — Representatives of the Swiss Development Corporation (SDC), headed by the SCO Country Director in Tajikistan, Rudolf Schoch, today left for Gorno Badakhshan to visit the Community Health Program.
Their trip will include visiting projects in Murghab, Ishkashim and Khorog. The project was started in 1997 by the Aga Khan Foundation, Tajikistan (AKF) and has been implemented by Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS) over the last 3 years. (CHP) GBAO from August 20-25, 2007.
Yodgor Fayzov, CEO of AKF Tajikistan, noted that “this five-day visit will give SDC representatives the opportunity to witness first-hand the positive impacts that these projects are having on the daily lives of the residents of these communities.” “It is because of the generous support that agencies like SDC and others are able to give that allow programs like the CHP to become such a success.”
The primary activity of the CHP is the training of community volunteers in basic health and nutritional issues. These individuals are called Community Health Promoters. Once these individuals have completed their training they become the vital link between the community and the primary health care delivery system of the government. Currently there are 417 Community Health Promoters working in GBAO. Due to the success of CHP GBAO, the program is currently being expanded to the Khatlon region.
Because of the work of CHP volunteers, communities across GBAO now have better access to the knowledge they need to live a healthier and more productive life. The measures introduced as part of the CHP include providing communities with better knowledge regarding prevention and care for diarrheas, respiratory diseases, HIV/AIDS, TB and knowledge about nutrition for infants, mothers and children. Also CHP’s are helping those in the community gain access to micronutrients, iodized salt and timely immunizations. CHP activities are mainly targeted towards women of reproductive age and children under 5 years old.
The Aga Khan Foundation is part of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) founded and guided by His Highness the Aga Khan. AKF is a non-denominational, international development agency established in 1967 by His Highness the Aga Khan. The headquarter is based in Geneva, Switzerland and the foundation has branches and affiliates in more than 15 countries. In Tajikistan, AKF has been active since 1993 with the support of the international donor community, a response was mounted to imminent food shortages in GBAO cased by the collapse of the Soviet Union. In parallel with this emergency program, AKF initiated a rural development program with the aim of contributing to poverty alleviation efforts in the program areas. Programs for reform in the social sector (Health and Education) were introduced in 1994, aiming to assist the government to cope more effectively with reduced resources while at the same time benefiting from new approaches in education and health.
