A short while after the health talk for parents and the de-worming session for the children at one of Goducate’s learning centers in Sabah, the teachers from all the Goducate learning centers in Sabah were brought together for what we hope will be the first of a series of health seminars for them. They see the children almost every day, and they are looked up to by the students as well as by the rest of the community, so they are in a good position to influence the community’s health—by teaching, as well as by administering simple treatments. But first they need to acquire knowledge about health.
Since parasitic worm infestations are common in the kind of areas this community lives in, and it is a topic that had been taught to one group of parents, I started the session with this topic.sa Like many of the parents who attended the earlier session, the teachers had obviously had these infestations themselves because many could recount their own experiences. Many also pointed out that they cannot change the (non-existent) sanitation system they have now. However, good personal hygiene practice can definitely help towards prevention of parasitic infestation. Hence the teachers were taught the 7 steps of proper handwashing. They were also each given a copy of a handwashing poster so that they could return to their respective villages and teach their students.
The session ended with two common first-aid skills—how to stop bleeding from cuts, and treatment of burns from scalds and flames.