Speeches Shim
Last updated: December 21, 2021
Octávio Longuenza is not one to shy away from tough jobs. He spends up to three months living and working underground in the diamond mines in Angola’s Lunda-sul Province, followed by three months aboveground working other jobs, including as a driver to deliver malaria supplies to communities in Lunda-sul. Octávio’s willingness to get his hands dirty is a welcome trait when it comes to driving delivery trucks around Angola during the rainy malaria season.
“Previously, I wasn’t confident enough in some aspects of my work, like management of fever in pregnant women, and determining fetal age and position. Thanks to the formative supervision visits I have received, now I can confidently conduct physical examinations and manage fever in pregnant women, in addition to correctly filling in Antenatal Care patient registers. I look forward to continued support in the future.” These are the words of Luzia Camba Glória Vungo an antenatal care nurse who works in the Gasolina health facility in the municipality of Chitado. Her health facility is 15 kilometers from the provincial capital of Saurimo, Lunda Norte province.
Diagnosing malaria in a timely manner remains a significant challenge in Angola. According to the Plano Nacional de Desenvolvimento Sanitário 2013-2025, only 45% of the Angolan population have access to health units. Of these units, less than 40% have laboratory capacity—and those with capacity are often poor quality. To effectively combat malaria and save lives, it is essential to increase malaria diagnosis coverage and the diagnosis capacity of existing laboratories.
The USAID Health for All project supports the Ministry of Health through its National Directorate of Public Health, National Malaria Control Program, and the Reproductive Health Department to increase the effectiveness of Government of the Republic of Angola’s resources in satisfying the health needs of its population.
Water is one of the most important resources in our planet, people, animals and plants, all need water for survival. For 47% of the population in Angola, clean drinking water is more valuable than the real black gold in the second largest oil producer in Africa. Angola has one of the world’s highest child mortality rates, with 72 deaths in 1000 children before they complete the age of 5. According to UNICEF’s Promise Renewed 2015 Annual Report, 14 % of the child deaths in Angola are caused by unsafe water sources or waterborne diseases or worsening the prevalence of malnutrition. In 2017 the first Demographic Health Survey in country reported that just over half of households, 53% have access to appropriate drinking water sources, 67% of which in urban areas 32% in rural areas.
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