Children's Health Education in Vanuatu

Eastern Hutt Rotary seeks support to fund the hygiene and health education of children and young adults in Vanuatu.

This programme helps girls, boys and young adults to become aware of how special they are and of the importance of practicing good sanitation. Teachers are trained to expand their school programmes with weekly checks on hand-washing, tooth brushing, clean clothing, bathing, clean water bottles (in preference to sweets or “juices”), fingernails, hair (lice and nits), and skin sores.

While the education is for both genders, it also targets teenage girls to understand the reproductive cycle of the female body and to encourage them to make the choices, such as avoiding early pregnancy, that will help them to prosper and live healthy lives.

The programme also encourages adolescents to eat healthy food, and to exercise, in order to avoid obesity and other related disease such as heart attack, diabetes, etc. Literacy training is included for those who cannot read.

The training is conducted by qualified health workers, and experienced people in the area of good health, who also train others so that the program will have an ongoing influence for the future. The programme also includes blood pressure and diabetes checks by technicians from the local hospital.

Up to $1500 is needed each year to ensure that costs for training materials (pens, paper and PC supplies), healthy food for programme lunches, and transport for teacher- training will be met. The programme has already been running for four years under the leadership of the wife of a local church Minister. She also teaches the programme to adults just before the Church Service on Sundays.

A retired health professional makes annual visits to Vanuatu to provide advice and monitor progress. With her visits and regular emails from Vanuatu we know what’s happening and that the money is being spent well.

Because the funds will go overseas we have to do this through our Club, an Incorporated Society, rather than through our NZ registered Charitable Trust. Hence the x next to that item on Givealittle's Confidence panel, but donations are nonetheless eligible for a tax credit as that panel shows.