The Chief of Tamale Dakpema Naa has commended the Institute of Social Research and Development (ISRAD) for undertaking an awareness creation campaign on Ebola and Cholera. This was contained in a speech delivered on his behalf by the Wulana of Tamale at a regional stakeholders meeting held in Tamale.

He said indiscipline is the root cause of most of these diseases citing the case of Cholera where the disease can be caused by poor sanitation and personal hygiene.

The stakeholders meeting was organized by ISRAD as part of a national behavioural Communication Change (BCC) campaign on Ebola and Cholera aimed at sensitizing the public through evidence based strategies with information on the prevention of cholera as well as the emergence of Ebola.

This BCC Campaign will provide community members with the basic knowledge of Ebola and Cholera, their mode of transmission, the signs and symptoms of the diseases and how to position themselves in case of a suspected outbreak. It is also envisaged that it would lead to a change in behaviours of community members by way of doing away with unhealthy life-styles and adopting better ones.

ISRAD is executing this project in 34 districts in northern Ghana and so far, volunteers and field officers have been deplored to about 600 communities to begin sensitization and awareness creation activities.

The stakeholders meeting was attended by regional heads of relevant MMDA’s, regional Ghana Health Service staff, District Directors of Health, civil society groups among others.

According to Dr. Mawia Zakaria, the Executive Director of ISRAD, the project has been carefully crafted in line with the Social Mobilization and Risk Communication component of the Government of Ghana's National Preparedness and Response Plan for the Prevention and Control of Ebola Viral Disease.

The goal of the project is have at least 70% of “at risk groups” in Ghana knowledgeable on the modes of transmission, signs and symptoms of Ebola and Cholera and ways of preventing their transmission.

About 10 million Ghanaians are expected to be sensitized on Cholera and Ebola at the end of the 6 month project.

The Institute for Social Research and Development (ISRAD) was established as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in Ghana in 2006.

It was founded to undertake integrated development research, design and management of development programmes to improve the lives of people. Since its inception, ISRAD has implemented numerous projects mostly in the area of health especially in the three northern regions.