Sharing is Caring, Especially When It’s Best Management Practices for IRS

The PMI VectorLink Project utilizes different methods for sharing best practices, providing technical assistance, and engaging stakeholders. This week’s Fist Bump goes to VectorLink Mozambique for their utilization of the IRS technical working group (TWG) to help harmonize and standardize IRS at the national level.

Prior to the creation of the IRS TWG, VectorLink Mozambique, the government of Mozambique, and Tchau Tchau Malaria (Goodbye Malaria) all had different strategies for implementing IRS. The IRS TWG’s creation within the Vector Control Management group in 2019 was a big platform for VectorLink to have better engagement with the NMCP and other partners such as Tchau Tchau Malaria, WHO, PMI/USAID, and the Global Fund.

The IRS TWG meets quarterly and has been able to:

• Harmonize training curricula for all IRS programs in Mozambique.
• Provided guidance on the minimum standards for Personal Protective Equipment
• Drafted (still under review) a national IRS implementation manual, including the latest best management practices for IRS.
• Adopted Vector Link supervisory tools as a standard supervisory tool for IRS
• Successfully conducted national level master trainings.

Since 2021, the supervisory tools were made available at the national level for IRS programs. During the 2021 spray campaign, VL Mozambique observed district level MOH staff using the supervisory tools on tablets, allowing the NMCP to see the progress from all provinces where IRS is being implemented.

Excellent work sharing best practices, VL Mozambique!

Want to learn more about how VL Mozambique provides technical assistance? You can listen to the recording of last week’s webinar, Sustainability in IRS Operations (you’ll also learn about technical assistance in Malawi and Ethiopia), on the Vector LearningXChange: https://www.vectorlearningxchange.com/webinars/