AMF activity update: October 2019

A short update on activities going on this month.

1. AMF is hiring for two exciting positions - an Operations Manager and a Full Stack Developer.
    
2. In DRC, the distribution of 1.5 million nets in Équateur province began on 17th October and is being wrapped up in all health zones. Distribution data is being validated and sent to Kinshasa, where it will be entered into AMF's database. In Haut Katanga, the registration of 1.4 million households will now take place with a pilot of electronic data collection in three of the 27 health zones. This will be the first time that our distribution partner, SANRU (Santé Rurale), will conduct electronic data collection and will be a chance to gain experience at scale before the registration of all provinces in 2020 and 2021 is performed electronically. This has pushed back the registration to November. We have signed an agreement with our data entry partner, AGAPE, to put in place a data entry centre in Kinshasa to enter into AMF’s database the registration data collected on paper from the households in the remaining 24 health zones.
    
3. In Togo, a new agreement has been signed with the Ministry of Health to fund 3.5 million nets for the 2020 campaign. The 24-month PDM has been carried out in all four regions (Savanes, Kara, Centrale and Plateaux) that received 2.4 million nets in 2017. Data was collected using electronic devices and will be sent to AMF shortly. Photos below show the challenges of reaching randomly selected households during the current rainy season.
    
4. In Ghana, our PDM partner World Vision has completed data collection for the 9-month PDMs in regions that received AMF nets. Data was collected with electronic devices and 1.5% of all households that received AMF-funded nets were visited. The sleeping space coverage across these areas is 62% and the next step will be to discuss this with the National Malaria Control Programme to understand what actions can be taken to improve net usage.
    
5. In Malawi, our partner the Malawi Red Cross Society has finished PDMs in Central region and data will shortly be imported into our Data Entry System. We have shared initial results with the National Malaria Control Programme who are considering actions to be taken to increase net usage where necessary.
    
6. In Guinea, we are tendering for a PDM partner to carry out post-distribution monitoring at 9, 18 and 27 months across 1.5% of all households that received AMF-funded nets, collecting data electronically. PDMs will begin in February 2020. Investigations into a possible theft of AMF nets are ongoing, and we will provide a dedicated update in November.
    
7. In Uganda, our PDM partner organisation Malaria Consortium, with their implementing partner PACE, is carrying out the 30-month PDM in the Eastern region.
    
8. In PNG, our partner RAM continues to distribute nets on a rolling basis. Distribution has been completed in 5 of the 8 provinces scheduled for the year, with distribution ongoing in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (ARoB, previously known as North Solomons province). More than 500,000 nets have been distributed in 2019. Orders have been placed for the first province that will receive AMF-funded nets in the 2020 campaign, Milne Bay.
    
9. In Zambia, the next PDM to take place will be in Eastern province at 18 months post distribution. We have signed an agreement with our partner CHAZ to carry out this work in October and November.