Community Volunteers Provide Important Health Education

As part of our work with vulnerable children, Project HOPE has worked over the past five years to create a network of volunteer health educators. The educators teach in their own communities, offering important health lessons covering a variety of topics such as how to purify water, washing hands, preventing malaria, HIV and TB.

One of our biggest challenges has been how to overcome the low levels of education in the communities we work with, in particular extremely high illiteracy rates. To overcome this, Project HOPE staff designed a flip chart workbook that uses a series of 30 pictures to present different health messages. On the back of each picture are some discussion questions that the facilitator uses to help cover the important points.

This last week, our health educator in Quelimane, Zambezia was able to train all our volunteers on how to use the flipchart. At the end of the 3 days of training, each volunteer received their own copy of the flipchart to take back to their homes and villages to help teach their neighbors. They also received a Project HOPE T-shirt and cap.

What’s great about using volunteers is that even when the program comes to an end, the volunteers will continue to work in their own communities, teaching their peers how to live healthier lives.

Thanks for Reading
-Stefan