Page 86 - SAMRC Annual Report 2023-24

Equitable capacity development
for empowering communities

The MRG provided various capacity-building
initiatives for malaria control staff in each of the
three malaria-endemic provinces of KwaZulu-
Natal, Limpopo and Mpumalanga. The training
encompassed the specific areas of (1) Entomological
surveillance, (2) Mosquito collections, (3) Insectary
Management, (4) Project Management, (5) Diagnostic
tools and (6) Epidemiology. The MRG also arranged
for the malaria control programme staff to attend
PCR training at the NICD. These areas of capacity
development assisted in filling knowledge gaps and
empowering field staff to work more confidently
and efficiently when conducting various aspects of
their work. The MRG also provided necessary and
valuable consumables to the provinces to facilitate
the effective maintenance and running of their
insectaries.
Prof Maharaj with Lifetime Achievement
The communities are involved in the research that the Award recipient Prof Blumberg at the 8th
group conducts in malaria-endemic provinces. The Southern Africa Malaria Research Conference.
communities are informed of the research projects
that the MRG wishes to conduct in their areas. Apart from the malaria control staff, training was also
Together with the malaria control programmes, the carried out with University of Zululand students at
communities are made aware of the malaria situation Honours level. Formal lectures were attended by the
and the need for research in their areas. Information students and some even completed small projects
sharing encourages community members to on malaria. Master's and PhD students from the
participate in research and feedback is given once University of KwaZulu-Natal and the University of
research has been concluded. Pretoria are being mentored by the Director. This is
part of an initiative by the MRG to develop research
capacity to guide the country to malaria.

Science for creating a
healthier society

The majority of the research conducted by the MRG
is done within communities. The staff of the Group
have travelled on fieldwork to the three endemic
provinces as well as to Mozambique to conduct
research as part of the LSDI2 and Mozambiquan
studies. The MRG's partnership with the provincial
Departments of Health in Limpopo, KwaZulu-
Natal and Mpumalanga has enabled the group to
work productively and cooperatively with all the
communities it engaged with.

Information sessions were held with malaria
control staff, to discuss quality control of the
Collecting mosquito larvae in the field indoor spraying programme. The need for quality
for research. control was discussed in the field and the World

84 SAMRC ANNUAL REPOR T 2023-24