Project Report
| Dec 20, 2018
Street dance to prevent excessive drinking
By Noemi Zulauf | Project Assistant
Roundabout is a health promotion and prevention service for children and young people. It was initiated in Switzerland 18 years ago. There are almost 100 Roundabout groups with over 1000 participants. Roundabout is a combination of community and get-together with peers and dancing as a sport.
Many young girls feel fat, insecure and have a low self-esteem. In teenage years this leads to excessive drinking patterns due to group pressure or just to create a better feeling. In Roundabout the girls learn important life principles and develop a healthy self-image through the inputs of the dance teachers and the physical movement.
Roundabout helps to pass the demanding age phase of adolescence well and healthy, in order to lay the foundations for a stable health and lifestyle in the further life. Roundabout helps young people to appreciate their uniqueness by promoting personal and social resources and learning a healthy relationship to alcohol.
The approximately 100 groups have different performances and so the teens spend their free time in a positive environment.
With your donation, the street dance groups can be further implemented and children can be prevented from suffering from alcoholism. Thank you very much
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Oct 5, 2018
All Alcohol is Harmful
By Anne Babb | General Secretary
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All Alcohol is HarmfulUntil now many researchers have spoken about the harmful use of alcohol; i.e. the emphasis has been on the user. It has been argued that people- their behavior and drinking habits are to blame for alcohol harm. IBC has taken a different view and we have emphasized that the problem is the product itself. Alcohol is not an ordinary product- it causes health harm and addiction, this is why strong alcohol policies are so important. Strong policies in turn guide public health and support people in healthier life style. IBC advocates for evidence based policies to protect all people from this harmful product.
On August 23rd 2018, there was a significant publication in the field of alcohol research. A study by Global Burden of Disease collaborators conducted within 195 countries proves what IBC with many others in the field of alcohol harm have argued for a long time. All alcohol is harmful to health. The study highlights that:
”Alcohol use is a leading risk factor for global disease burden and causes substantial health loss. We found that the risk of all-cause mortality, and of cancers specifically, rises with increasing levels of consumption, and the level of consumption that minimises health loss is zero. These results suggest that alcohol control policies might need to be revised worldwide, refocusing on efforts to lower overall population-level consumption.” (Lancet study Published Online 23 août 2018 https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(18)31310-2.pdf)There is obviously limitations in all studies and some counter arguments are emerging already. Still, as a starting point we are now on the right track acknowledging that the product itself is harmful. People make good and bad health choices but products that are harmful to health need strong policies and good public health prevention. The Blue Cross has a mandate to drive evidence based policies. Please read the study and use it to advocate within your country. Advocate for the WHO guided three best methods on alcohol policy: increased price and tax, limiting availability and restricting marketing. When we advocate for these we are changing the world together!
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Jul 10, 2018
Togo Blue Cross reaching youth
By Anne Babb | General Secretary
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Togo BC Youth
The Blue Cross Togo has been doing excellent prevention work for years thanks to highly dedicated volunteers, an amazing board and engaged staff! In 2018, IBC will start to cooperate more closely with the BC team in Togo to implement a Life Skills project for youth. General Secretary organised training in Lome where Anne was mainly engaged in sensitizing staff and volunteers for good governance practices, networking with a variety of local stakeholders, visiting local authorities and meeting beneficiaries. In an interview with the local media, Anne made it clear: the best way to effectively prevent people from alcohol harm, is to develop in each individual the ability to think independently and to make good, healthy choices. An education based on the Life Skills concept is a key to reaching this goal. Following Anne´s visit, BC Togo has created an extensive action plan to prepare all policies, procedures and guidelines required to comply with development cooperation partner standards, as well as Transparency International’s good governance standards.The IBC team is very much looking forward to beginning the project, and supporting BC Togo in capacity building and fundraising activities. Join our efforts by supporting our work - every little helps to make a difference!
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