By raising $10,000 for the Community Health Outreach Program (CHOP) Phase IIII, Social Action for Women (SAW) will be able to address health issues in rural Thailand by providing reproductive and basic preventative health education in 10 target communities and providing personal/dental hygiene workshops in the migrant schools. These workshops will be organized and led by the Peer Educators. Funds also benefit a mobile medical team that serves Burmese immigrants in rural villages.
Burma has previously endured a harsh military government and closed economy. This compelled hundreds of thousands of refugees to flee the country, many to neighboring Thailand. The community of Phrop Phra is so rural, it has been previously unaided by other NGOs. The people living there lack basic services including accurate knowledge about best health practices, especially in the areas of communicable disease and reproductive health.
Phase III of the Community Health Outreach Program will utilize the Peer Educators trained in Phase II to conduct workshops within their communities regarding reproductive and preventative health as well as personal and dental hygiene. This phase will also integrate a personal and dental hygiene curriculum into migrant schools to start implementing better health practices at a young age.
The Peer Educators will remain a long term resource for all the refugees living in Phrop Phra. Approximately 600 people reside in this area and will have access to the Peer Educators' educational services. This infusion of knowledge into these communities will provide for more effective family planning, a decrease in communicable diseases, better hygiene habits, and more sanitary living conditions. The school program will allow children to begin good hygiene habits that can prevent disease.
