Say it with… a case study.
It’s been a long time I haven’t contributed to this blog and the two watchdogs (yes that is you George and Panos) started barking. It is a quiet Sunday night in Kenema, sitting at my usual post (see my first blog for details) catching up with work so I thought to drop some lines. I had actually started writing about something totally abstract while at the same time I was reviewing a few case studies I had prepared to submit together with my programme annual report to our donor when I realized that they could make a great blog so here you go…
For reasons of discretion NGO X will be the organization I am working for!
Global Handwashing Day Festivities led by School children…
During Global Hand Washing day 2008,NGO X initiated relevant festivities in 6 operational Health Action Zones in Gorama Mende chiefdom. 495 randomly selected students from 33 primary and secondary schools at NGO X’s operational areas in Gorama Mende chiefdom participated in a sequence of festivities that included sensitization and training on “Proper Handwashing Behaviours & Affiliation with Germs and Common Diseases (Diarrhoea, ARI)”, distribution of soap, kettles, IEC materials and community awareness through student parades.
In order, for children to understand the route of transmission between Handwashing, Germs and Diseases, NGO X’s Health team prepared a simple “Germ Gel” with common hair styling gel and glitter cosmetic. A small amount of “Germ Gel” was put on a child’s hand who subsequently had to handshake with his/hers friends and so on… At the end of the game the audience counted how many hands were glossy! The idea was based on the Lifebuoy Swasthya Chetna (“HealthAwakening”) program began in 2002 as a rural health and hygiene education initiative in India that used the “Lifeboy”-glow germ demo kit.
A few weeks later the Global Handwashing Day, a group of children were playing outdoors when a mother brought food in front of them. Some of the kids attended to instantly start eating while some others stopped them urgently and explained them how their hands might be germ carriers and that they should all immediately go and wash their hands.
Global Handwashing Day Workshop for street-food vendors…
During Global Handwashing Day NGO X in collaboration with the Environmental Health Office of Kenema District Health Management Team, financially and technically supported a workshop with title “Promotion of hygienic behaviours to Public Food Handlers” for 50 street-food vendors and 10 stakeholders from greater Kenema township. Handwashing promotion stickers prepared by NGO X and distributed to participants.
A couple of weeks later, a street-food vendor near the main Kenema town flea market was identified by the Health Programme Manager to carry a bottle of water connected to a bar of soap with a string. The bottle had a NGO X handwashing promotion sticker on it.
Malnourished children & the Positive Deviance/Hearth approach…
Ada Kamapoh, 7 months old was admitted at the PD/Hearth session with entrance weight 4.2 kg which indicated severe malnutrition. Ada is Adama’s (mother) and Alfred’s(father) last child. Both parents had little knowledge on appropriate child feeding practices and household disease treatment behavior. Mother was totally discouraged by community’s overall opinion that Ada would not survive.
By the third session Ada graduated with a weight of 9.2 kg, overall she managed to gain 5 kg through the PD/Hearth sessions. This event motivated more mothers with malnourished children to join the Hearth.
On their own initiative they established two new Hearth sites in Kennyema. Hearths were facilitated by volunteer mothers which also formed a club named Ndo Makeh, meaning ‘Raising children the proper way” in Mende dialect. They also supported the Hearths with food contribution from their own farms.
Ada’s mother testimony:
“I am grateful to NGO X’s nutrition team. My baby was seen in the community as a living corpse that will not survive. I was not happy because there was no one to lead me on how to sustainably rehabilitate my own baby. My child had severe weight loss, pale colour hairs and all visible features of malnutrition… When I attended the 1st cycle at the Hearth session Ada started gaining weight immediately. I am happy that my baby has changed and now the members of the village talk about Ada being a human being again.”
Panagiotis
George
martsolka
Nice
check this out though..intriguing.. i would like to see if it really works
http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=F.f4319066-31e4-4b53-9f0a-0a72897461fe