Introduction:
Since March 2015, the Knowledge for Children’s health project has continued to sensitize communities on basic hygiene and sanitation. We organized the commemoration of World Malaria Day with the entire community of Tatum, one of the zones where Knowledge for Children works.
Installation of Hand Washing Systems:
In order to promote basic hygiene and sanitation in the schools we work with, Knowledge for Children has continued to donate hand washing tanks to the schools benefiting from the health program. During these visits, we donate three tanks and six bars of soap per school, which are distributed to levels 1, 2 and 3. We present a health talk to both the pupils and the parents on the importance of hand washing. We invite parents during these visits to make sure the Parent Teachers Association is involved in the project to ensure sustainability.
We expect the PTA to be responsible for repairing the tanks if they are broken and continuing to provide soap for the pupils. The parents can also promote this project to the children at home by making sure they keep their hand clean.
World Malaria Day:
On the 25th of April, Knowledge for Children together with partners Afoni Children of Hope, Rural Development Foundation and four local Health Clubs joined the community of Tatum in Nkum Zone to celebrate World Malaria Day. Celebrated under the theme: Invest in the Future – Defeat Malaria, we organized a parade, which was headed by the bike riders of Tatum. The Health Scouts marched with cardboard signs that read: Malaria sucks; hang your nets and frustrate the mosquitoes; Malaria kills do not give Malaria a biting chance; spread the word and spread the nets, etc.
The parade ended at the Grand Stand where we had other activities like the three ways sketch, which was performed by the Health Scouts of GS Tatum, PS Tatum and GS Nkween. PS Tatum played the first part, which was about a community that is ignorant about Malaria and uses their mosquito nets for fishing instead. They also demonstrated some unhealthy habits like having a very dirty environment that promotes mosquito breeding. GS Tatum performed the second part of the sketch about a group of advocates going out to sensitize the first community on the dangers of Malaria and how to prevent it. GS Nkween played the third part, which was about a community that is now Malaria free as a result of the knowledge they have gained from the advocacy group.
Other activities for this day included songs by Health Scouts and poems from students of GBHS Tatum. We dressed up two pupils with mosquito outfits who chased people around “infecting” them with Malaria. The mosquito also got very frustrated when it tried to bite the children who were under the nets. We invited a health worker who presented an educative talk on the dangers of Malaria and why communities should join hands to combat Malaria. The Health Scouts had a lot of fun during this day.
Thanks to everybody that is supporting this projects both morally and financially, Knowledge for Children has continued to promote “Good Health for Quality Education” in over 50 primary schools.
“Two heads are better than one” goes the saying around here. This means together we can achieve more.
