Doctors Without Borders

Photo: Jérémie, an MSF community health agent, performs a rapid diagnostic test for malaria on a child with fever. Guinea 2013 © Philippe Latour/MSF

A Community Comes Together to Fight Malaria in Guinea

In Guinea, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has set up a network of community health agents as part of its strategy to tackle malaria. These volunteers are committed to working for the well-being of their communities.

André Millimouno is a builder by trade, but in September 2010 this cheerful 44-year-old gave up his job to become a community health agent in the area MSF supports. He is part of a team of 47 agents who help manage malaria in their communities in Guéckédou, in Guinea’s remote Guinée Forestière region.

This morning, André has come to the village of Kat-Kama, located 15 kilometers [nine miles] from the nearest health post. In the small central square, a crowd of villagers has gathered under a tree. They know that André has come to give them information about malaria, carry out tests, and treat those suffering from the disease. His t-shirt bears a simple message: “Community health agents are committed to fighting malaria.”