Purpose

This document is a case study of the adaptation and roll-out of the Epidemic Control for Volunteers’ (ECV) Toolkit and Training Manual in Myanmar.

The roll-out of the ECV Toolkit in Myanmar targeted five communities in Leiwei Township with a population of approximately 11,870 people (2,660 households).

Overview

• First, a coordination and sensitization meeting on epidemic prevention and control was held. It brought together Myanmar Red Cross Society leadership and management representatives from various departments, Ministry of Health officials and the IFRC country office. In addition to this meeting, two sensitization and contingency-planning workshops, based on potential outbreaks of priority diseases, were conducted for Myanmar Red Cross Society staff and volunteers. The ECV toolkit was translated and adapted for the local context. A three-day training session was held to create a group of Myanmar Red Cross Society ‘master trainers’ who would ensure the ECV toolkit was rolled out within the communities where they worked.
• Overall, the project has supported the Myanmar Red Cross Society to increase community preparedness to seasonal disease outbreaks and epidemics, including potential, emerging, infections in the country. The roll-out of the ECV toolkit improved the capacity of Myanmar Red Cross Society volunteers to deliver good quality services to the community and to guide the immediate action of volunteers in response to any epidemic or its threat.
• Some of the challenges faced include: the need for more time than was originally planned; difficulty recruiting project staff due to a lack of experienced applicants; translation and adaption of ECV toolkits taking more time than expected. A full list can be found on pp. 4-5.

Usage: Learning from experience

Audiences: Technical staff

Citation: Myanmar Red Cross Society (2015). Epidemic Preparedness in Myanmar (pp. 1-6).