Anthony Fishing Port is an island community located in Kombo Itindi, on the Bakassi peninsula. Due to the marshy nature of the land, huts are suspended and separated by narrow walkways suspended above water.
about 5 km from the only health facility. The inhabitants submit that their community’s location is favours fishing, their principal source of livelihood. However, Anthony Fishing Port is over 5 km from the only health facility in the Kumbo Itindi health area (HA and lacks basic amenities, including potable water and proper latrines. “we lack drinking water, food is scarce and our homes are breeding grounds for mosquitoes” the community leader of Anthony Fishing Port reported.
Additionally, healthcare providers from the closest health facility can only reach Anthony Fishing Port by way of the sea, and this journey is very dangerous as pirate attacks, extortion, and kidnapping for ransom are very frequent. Understandably, many under-five children have not received routine vaccines.
The RAISE for ZDC in Sahel (R4S) project worked closely with an Apostolic Church Pastor, a highly regarded and influential community member, to organise an outreach vaccination session in Anthony Fishing Port. The community leaders resolved that the Apostolic Church premises would host the vaccination post, selected a date and deployed a Town Crier to inform and mobilise the population.
Excited about this, an inhabitant volunteered to move door-to-door to search for children who had not received vaccines and convince their parents to bring them to the vaccination site. “I know that vaccines are very important and make children strong to survive in this community, and I don’t want any child to miss this opportunity.Nine children received the lifesaving pentavalent vaccines for the first time this outreach.
