MBILANENI – A 27-year-old from the Mbilaneni community under Maseyisini Inkhundla has become the first male Rural Health Motivator (RHM) in the area, breaking with decades of tradition where the role has been held almost exclusively by women.
Malibongwe Mhlongo was one of 50 RHMs who recently completed a 12-week training course supported by World Vision Eswatini in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. The training, conducted in Nhlangano, covered maternal and child health, non-communicable diseases, environmental health, and community health promotion.
Malibongwe said his motivation came from observing the number of preventable illnesses among children in his community. “Many children were getting sick because of things like poor hygiene or not being taken to the clinic on time,” he said.
Rural Health Motivators are a key part of the country’s primary health care system, tasked with educating households, monitoring child growth, and connecting residents with health services.
Nomathemba Tsela, Development Facilitator for World Vision’s Maseyisini Area Programme, said some communities had been left without RHMs due to retirements or deaths. She said the training would restore health services in those areas.
The course was facilitated by trainers from the Ministry of Health, including nurse Sanelisiwe Fakudze from the Nhlangano Public Health Unit. She said the manual used during the training is standardised across the country to ensure uniform delivery of health messages.
Malibongwe now returns to his community ready to serve as a role model and health educator, particularly to young fathers and mothers.
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