A health committee in Inharrime, Mozambique, meets to discuss health problems facing the community. Malaria Consortium’s Rapid Access Expansion (RAcE) project began working with these health committees in order to get communities talking about health through an approach called community dialogues. The project provides training and materials to help committees organise and carry out these dialogues.

Filismina Luis has been a member of her community health committee in Inharrime, Mozambique, since 2013. With support from Malaria Consortium’s RAcE project, the health committee organises and conducts community dialogues. “Sometimes we discuss mosquito nets, because some people don’t use them or don’t have them. Other times, people talk about diarrhoea caused by dirty water.”

Adolfo Nhamize is the president of the committee. “There are 15 regular members of our health committee. I am responsible for leading our meetings. I make the reports and conduct dialogues with the community.”

Daimanhane Mausene is the secretary of the group. “We sometimes go house to house and talk to people about the use of latrines, how to boil water so they don’t get sick, and how to take some medicines. Then we come back later and see if they are following our advice.”

A community dialogue takes place, organised and conducted by the health committee. The topic of the meeting is malaria.

The health committee gets ready to begin the community dialogue.

Committee President, Adolfo, addresses the community and goes over which topics they will cover.

A community member addresses the group.

One of the facilitators of the community dialogue shows an illustration that demonstrates how to hang up an insecticide treated net.

Another picture shows some common malaria symptoms.

An employee from the Provincial Directorate for Health speaks to the community about healthcare.

The committee and Malaria Consortium staff pose for a group photo once the meeting has ended.