Strengthening Community-Based Vector Control, Malaria Perdhaki Holds Vector Cadet Monitoring and Evaluation Meeting in Surabaya

MALARIA PERDHAKI–SURABAYA. As part of its commitment to accelerating malaria elimination in Indonesia, Malaria Perdhaki organized the "Program Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Meeting, Quill Refresher Training, and Vector Cadet Meeting." The event took place from 3–5 August 2026 at Hotel Santika Premiere Gubeng, Surabaya.

The primary focus of the first day of the M&E meeting was the optimization of the Vector Cadet program. This digital application, developed through a collaboration between Malaria Perdhaki and OUCRU Indonesia, is designed to support community health volunteers in monitoring, recording, and reporting malaria vector control data in the field. To date, the digital system has been implemented in six provinces: Papua, West Papua, Central Papua, South Papua, Southwest Papua, and East Nusa Tenggara.

Data entry into the application relies heavily on the active participation of malaria volunteers working under the coordination of Sub-Recipients (SRs) and Sub-Sub-Recipients (SSRs). Recognizing the strategic importance of their role, the meeting brought together 48 participants, including Program Managers from SRs and SSRs, as well as Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Officers from SRs, who serve as the frontline implementers of community-based malaria vector control activities.

At the opening of the meeting, Malaria Perdhaki Principal Recipient (PR) Program Manager, Dr. Yohanes Ari Hermawan, explained that the event was organized to strengthen the capacity of SR and SSR staff in using the Vector Cadet application. Through this meeting, participants are expected to develop a shared understanding of the application's use, data recording and reporting procedures, and to enhance their ability to mentor and support malaria volunteers in their respective areas.

Although the use of the application continues to be promoted, operational challenges in its implementation remain a key concern. Theresa F. Napitupulu, Technical Officer for CLM and Vector Cadet, confirmed that some malaria volunteers still lack sufficient knowledge and skills to use the application effectively. In addition, several other factors continue to affect volunteer participation, including limited internet connectivity, inadequate access to smartphones or other mobile devices, and technical performance issues within the application itself.

Overall, the level of volunteer engagement still needs to be improved. However, two SSRs have demonstrated encouraging progress. SSR Perdhaki KAME Region recorded the highest level of volunteer activity among all SSRs, while SSR PW Diocese of Weetebula achieved a 26 percent increase in data submissions in May 2026. Nevertheless, this meeting is expected to encourage these two SSRs to further strengthen volunteer engagement while motivating other SSRs to make greater use of the application.

Through this M&E Meeting, all participants are expected to engage in discussions and share experiences to address both technical and non-technical challenges. As Dr. Ari emphasized in his closing remarks, the active participation of all attendees is essential to developing more effective strategies for strengthening malaria vector control.

The outcomes of this M&E Meeting are expected to be implemented effectively in each participant's respective area of responsibility, thereby supporting the acceleration of Indonesia's national malaria elimination target by 2030.