One of Goducate’s learning centers in Sabah commemorated its first anniversary in an unusual way. The 60-plus students attending the two classes at this center underwent a de-worming session.
The teachers at our learning centers have observed that most of their children are malnourished, lethargic, and have a short attention span. These symptoms are very likely due to parasitic worm infestations and lack of a well-balanced diet.
The event started with a health talk for both the children and their parents on parasitic worm diseases commonly seen in Southeast Asia. One of the contributing factors to parasitic worm infestation is that many of these kampong (village) kids grow up playing barefooted in the muddy soil below their houses, which are built on stilts above the mangrove swamps along the river banks or sea shores. Because of poor sanitation practice as well as poor hygienic practices, the soil becomes an excellent breeding ground for parasitic worms. As I spoke, I could see the parents nodding their heads in agreement with the various signs and symptoms I showed. Some of the parents could also share their own experiences of having parasites when they were young. I was happy to hear of their personal experiences because it will make it much easier for them to recognize and detect early parasitic worm infestation in their children. The kids expressed their dread of the outcome of parasitic infestations and couldn’t wait to learn how to avoid acquiring worms.
It was a good opportunity to reinforce the importance of observing personal hygiene, in particular through proper handwashing. During the handwashing demonstration, I was pleased to see so many of the parents actively going through the motions of the basic 7 steps of handwashing.
The session ended with distribution of deworming medication to all the students who were present that day. Goducate thanks the generous sponsors for the medical supplies and hopes to expand this de-worming program to the rest of our learning centers in Sabah the near future.
