From Training to the Field: Community Outreach on Neglected Tropical Diseases in Al-Jawf

Education has the power to change lives. From young children to adults, our education programs provide the tools people need to learn, grow, and succeed.

In remote parts of Al-Jawf Governorate, many families live in communities that are rarely reached by regular health-awareness activities and have limited access to reliable information on prevention and early care. These gaps increase the risks associated with neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), especially where people have little opportunity to learn how such diseases spread, how they can be prevented, and when health care should be sought.

As part of its wider community health work in Yemen, International Bridges for Inclusive Community Development (IBICD) carried out a field outreach campaign on NTDs in underserved areas of Al-Hazm, Al-Jawf. The campaign built on IBICD's capacity-building approach: local health actors and community ambassadors who had previously been prepared to take an active role in health awareness joined the outreach under IBICD supervision.

Reaching people where they live

Rather than waiting for residents to reach a health facility, the team moved directly into targeted communities. Activities included household visits and face-to-face conversations with families, as well as outreach in community gathering places, markets, displacement settings and, to a limited extent, health facilities.

The campaign focused on practical messages: what NTDs are, why they matter, common routes of transmission, basic prevention measures, the importance of recognizing symptoms early, and when to seek health advice. For people with limited literacy, the team relied on clear verbal explanations and simple, direct communication so that essential information could be understood and applied in everyday life.

Awareness that travels further

IBICD supported the outreach with Arabic-language brochures, flyers and posters developed for NTD awareness. Community members were encouraged to share these materials and messages with relatives, neighbours and others around them, extending the campaign through a multiplier effect beyond those reached directly.

The outreach also helped address misconceptions and misinformation that can delay prevention or care-seeking. Where individuals showed signs or symptoms requiring further attention, they were encouraged to seek assessment through available health facilities.

Local knowledge, local action

Reaching remote communities involved challenges linked to distance, difficult roads and weak infrastructure. The participation of local health actors and community ambassadors from the area itself helped overcome these barriers. Their familiarity with the local context and social environment supported trust and made it easier to communicate with families in places often missed by conventional awareness activities.

From training to sustained community response

For IBICD, this campaign demonstrates the link between capacity building and community action. By enabling local actors to take health knowledge from the training room into homes and community spaces, IBICD is building a model in which awareness, prevention and local leadership reinforce one another. Through continued support for community actors, IBICD aims to strengthen NTD awareness and prevention and contribute to a more sustainable, community-based response in Al-Jawf.