REPORT ON HEALTH EDUCATION, SCREENING AND DONATION IN KASOA SAVIOR CHILDREN FOUNDATION IN THE CENTRAL REGION ON MARCH 19TH , 2017

Introduction

The orphans and caregivers of Savior Children Foundation – an orphanage Home in Kasoa , Central  Region, went through a health education and screening program on March 19th , 2017 at about 11am. The screening was to aid the children and the caregivers realize their health status with regards to Malaria, BP, BMI and its prevention and treatment.

In a discussion with the founder of the orphanage Mr. Patrick Nwodobeh, he was very happy to hear that such a foundation has thought about them, their environment, the orphans, caregivers and their health. He was happy about the education we gave his children, the extra tuition for the final BECE students and our generosity towards their children at large which he beliefs would encourage them to study and take education seriously. However his major concerns were;

  1. Orphans on the streets of Accra without care
  2. Children of school going age engaging in trade on the street.

Goal

The goal of the screening and education was to help the children know their health status and what they can become in future, which will translate into an improved standard of living. This as a result will help the community and the nation at large.

Objectives

The screening held seeks to achieve the following:

  • Enlighten the children on the need for a healthy living.
  • The need to take their education seriously.
  • Make them understand the need to keep their surroundings clean.
  • The various ways by which they can avoid contracting malaria, diarrhea, etc.
  • How the caregivers can handle minor health issues with the use of First Aids.

Participants

1023 people were screened out of which 981 were children and 42 were caregivers. The orphanage houses 42 children and the rest are in the neighborhood. Though the number was more than 1223, time did not permit us to screen those who came in later.

We had 9 cases with malaria, 4 were female and 5 male. They were directed to a hospital in Kasoa for treatment and the orphans were signed up for National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) .  Those with issues on BMI were identified and the caregivers were advised as to how to manage the issue.

 

Volunteers

The volunteers for the health screening were Nana Kontor, Nana Oduro, Samuel Saka, Obedi Agyei Mensah, Ebenezer Emisah, Frank Obeng, Gyamera Asare, Maxwell Owusu, David, Rexford, Alvin, Merlvin, Solomon, Bernard, and Ibrahim. A few of these volunteers are professional health workers and the rest are in other fields of operation.

 

Participants Expectation

The children and caregivers expectations at the end of the health screening are;

  • To acquire knowledge about how to address minor health issues
  • To learn new ideas on how to keep their environs clean to avoid diseases
  • To learn about healthy living.
  • The need to have a formal education and be well educated.

Methodology Used

The following Methodologies were used during the screening process;

  • Presentation
  • Discussions and Illustrations
  • Questions and answers

Evaluation

The lessons learnt by the orphans and the caregivers at the end of the health training/screening are as follows;

  • How to handle their environs to prevent themselves from Malaria and any other related diseases.
  • How to manage minor health issues at home before receiving medical attention at the nearest health center.
  • How to cultivate the habit of a healthy living.
  • The impact of healthy living on their future lives.
  • How an individual can avoid Malaria, High Blood Pressure and other health related issues.

Observation and Recommendation:

It was noticed that most of the children are well trained and cared for.

It was also noticed that the final year students to write the BECE needed extra tuitions to get them well prepared for the exams

We recommend that more of such trainings/screening should be organized for the orphans. This will help them to remain committed to healthy living and to make good grades in the BECE exams.

It was a wonderful moment we had with the kids. In as much as they got educated we got educated too, we learnt how they are able to coexist with other children with different characters.

We say a big thank you to the founder of the orphanage, Teach for Growth, Desire to Inspire, Igiveon and Dmensah for partnering us to make this project a success. And a big thank you to our Board sponsors and all the volunteers who made this project a success too.