From Stephanie: You will remember that I have written about Family Health Days in Uganda. (see previous posts) For new friends, I am Anne’s daughter, and last month I was honored to travel to Uganda with the Shot@Life team on behalf of Anne. As you know Anne is the Global Advocate for the campaign which aims to provide life-saving vaccines to children in the developing world.
Today, I wanted to talk a little about an amazing school in the capital city of Kampala called Railway Primary School, and it’s success in teaching basic health and cleanliness skills to the children that attend. This success is due in a large part to the school’s amazing Head Teacher Miss Olivia, who is known to the children as Grandmother. Alongside regular classes, Miss Olivia places great importance on teaching the children about health, vaccinations and sanitation. Many of these children’s parents may not have been able to attend school so by teaching the youth these lessons, they in turn can take the lessons back to their families and communities. One way Miss Olivia teaches the children is by organising them to put on plays. We were lucky enough to see some of them. One in particular stood out, where the children played a family, complete with a mother cooking dinner on a working gas stove! In the play, the children spoke to their ‘mother’ about the importance of washing their hands before eating their dinner, and of getting vaccinated. By empowering children to advocate for their own health, Railway Primary School is truly making a positive difference in the fight against preventable disease. Miss Olivia reminded me that just one person can create a powerful change in the lives of many, in this case with of hundreds of children, the message will reach many more. So the message is, “Speak out for what you believe in, and empower others to do the same!”
If you would like to learn more about Shot@Life go to www.shotatlife.org. For just one $5 donation you can protect a child from polio and measles for his/her lifetime.
