Malaria Prevention in Kigali Community Gardens: A Case Study of Community Health Volunteers

Malaria remains a significant public health issue in Rwanda, particularly in urban areas such as Kigali. Community gardens provide an ideal setting for malaria prevention programmes due to their dense population and proximity to residential areas. A mixed-method approach was employed, combining qualitative interviews with quantitative surveys among garden participants and local residents to gather data on CHV activities and health outcomes. CHVs conducted weekly health screenings in community gardens, reaching approximately 80% of the targeted population. While malaria prevalence dropped by 25% after six months, challenges included limited resources and inadequate training for CHVs. Despite initial success, sustained support and additional training are necessary to enhance CHV effectiveness and long-term impact on malaria prevention in Kigali's community gardens. Continued funding is needed to sustain CHV initiatives. Training programmes should be strengthened to ensure consistent quality of service delivery. Treatment effect was estimated with $\text{logit}(p_i)=\beta_0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.