World Sight Day 2025 presents an opportunity to amplify awareness of eye health and emphasize people-centered care. The main objectives that were mainly focused this year were; Increasing public awareness, Promoting access to eye care services, Drive engagement, Strengthen partnerships (with corporate organizations and community institutions) and Boosting clinic foot traffic through promotions aligned with World Sight Day and Mother's Day.
2025 Research Dissemination Conference' theme was "Multidisciplinary Health Research and Innovation Key to Economic Development". BICO, through the Mainstream-WHO project attended the conference which was held at Amaryllis Hotel in Blantyre. This is where the Mainstream teams presented their research projects and were mainly focused on; Accessibility of feasibility of an immunization screening tool to identify under vaccinated children and fine Scale Mapping of areas of Zero-dose hotspot using model based geostatistical methods.
A powerful symbol of hope and mobility rolled into the Ministry of Health headquarters this week: a brand-new 13-seater Landcruiser ambulance, gifted by the Blantyre Institute for Community Outreach (BICO). But this is not just any vehicle, it is a game-changer for Malawi’s national eye health system.
BICO, as an independent entity, conducted mass drug administration (MDA) coverage surveys in eight Onchocerciasis-endemic districts in Malawi—namely Ntcheu, Mwanza, Chikwawa, Blantyre, Chiradzulu, Mulanje, Zomba, and Phalombe—following drug distribution campaigns carried out between October and December 2024. Based on the survey findings, BICO organized dissemination meetings in two of the surveyed districts, Chikwawa and Blantyre, held on 1st and 2nd July 2025, respectively, at the district health offices. The purpose of these meetings was to present the survey results, including geographical and therapeutic coverage as well as associated factors, and to identify areas for improvement. To ensure effective engagement, the meetings were attended by program implementers, along with representatives from the Ministry of Health's Neglected Tropical Diseases Department and BICO.