SOCIAL MOBILIZATION

a) TOT Teachers Workshop against Rabies Prevention in Kajiado County

As part of Social mobilization, we have also been focusing on training teachers in Kajiado county to become trainers for their students in rabies prevention through responsible dog ownership. In a TOT Teachers’ Workshop held at Rabbits Center in Ngong, Kajiado county, between November 18 & 19, 2022, 15 teachers from across Kajiado county came out to learn about rabies prevention, with an aim of passing the knowledge to their students in their respective schools. Out of the 15 teachers trained 8 were female and 7 males thereby meeting the gender threshold as envisaged in the constitution of Kenya. 

The training was part of the implementation of the National Rabies Elimination Strategy in Kajiado County in line with Kenya’s National Rabies Elimination Strategy 2030.  

The purpose of the TOT was to build the capacities and increase the number of teachers with knowledge and skills to deliver RDO based TOTs in Kajiado County. The training was necessitated by the recent statistics that have shown an upsurge in cases of dog bites and dog mediated rabies deaths among children aged 6 and 16 years in Kajiado County. As a result, it warranted an immediate intervention to slow and halt the rising numbers of people dying from rabies in the County. 

The workshop was facilitated by Raphael Omondi with the help of Dr. Judy Kimaru and Leah Gitau from APAA. 

The project is a collaboration between Kajiado County Government and APAA in order to ensure that schools have up-to-date information regarding rabies risks and preventative practices. The training program consists of interactive lectures and practical sessions designed to help teachers understand how they can effectively communicate the risks associated with rabies exposure as well as strategies for disease prevention.

b) Ormilo Sensitization Training

On 15th September 2021, APAA in partnership with Kajiado County Government held a one-day Opinion leader’s and extension staff sensitization workshop in at the ACK conference e hall Kajiado county. The main aim was to bring to the fore the importance of helminth control in herd dogs among the pastoral farming community with an aim of reducing losses due to mortalities and organ condemnations in abattoirs occasioned by tapeworms. A total of 61 persons were sensitized during the workshop.