Tuberculosis Health Worker Training and Social Forum
Training: 19-20th November 2011, Ndioum
25 health workers from Ndioum, Gamadji Sare, and Toulde Galle were invited to attend a training led by the Ndioum Health Post Chef Saidou Sall. Over the course of two days, the health workers learned about the different types of tuberculosis (TB), TB in Senegal, the issues related to HIV-TB coinfection and drug-resistant TB, treatment using the WHO-recommended DOTS strategy, negative stigmas surrounding TB, and the role health workers in controlling the spread of TB. The participants learned much about TB and the training was especially beneficial to the health worker Thierno Thiam who is in charge of all TB cases throughout the commune of Ndioum.
Training room, Ndioum Health Post
Lunch at the TB training
Health workers discussing TB
Sall explaining TB to health workers
Social Forum: 26th November 2011, Ndioum
75 people who work in the health community (includes health workers, nurses, maternity nurses, and all health relais—community members who help with health work in rural areas) were invited to attend the social forum. Unfortunately, the social forum was planned the same day that President Wade decided to pay his respects to the family of a well-known recently deceased marabout in a town near Ndioum. Many invitees were unable to participate because public transportation was decreased to accommodate the high number of people hoping to see Wade. Around 40 people were able to participate in the forum. All participants learned about TB, its treatment, and the issues surrounding TB, such as its implications for HIV patients, the negative stigmas surrounding community members with TB, and the problems of not seeking treatment (increased spread) or taking it irregularly (increased drug-resistant TB).
How TB is spread...
Awa Tourney: Discussion with MSS Girls
13th November 2011, Ndioum
All 9 MSS girls
Awa Traore, Peace Corps coordinator, came to talk to our MSS girls and their parents about the importance of staying in school, the girls’ dreams, sexual health, and how parents can best support their daughters. All 9 of our MSS girls arrived, many with their fathers, a couple with mothers or older brothers. Awa started by asking each of the girls what they want to be when they grow-up, something that most parents do not ask their children. She then touched on the disconnect between children and their parents, the importance of parents supporting their daughters, and the problems that could prevent students from achieving their dreams. The girls split into groups to discuss the two issues of early marriage and unwanted pregnancies. The event was held at our house and concluded with bissap and banana bread.
Girls’ Leadership Camp
9-16 July 2011, Ndioum
The Podor department held a week-long girls’ leadership camp. The camp was held at the NGO Tostan’s regional house in Ndioum. Each volunteer invited 4 female students from their community. All girls were from the last grade in elementary school (CM2) or the first grade in middle school (6eme). Jonno also invited 6 (3 of 4eme and 4 of 5eme grade) of his MSS girls from Taredji to act as junior counselors (JCs) for the camp. In all we had 29 girls from Diambo Dialbe, Donaye Taredji,Ndioum,Aram Soubalo, Madina Ndiathbe, Bocke Dialbe, and Bocke Salsalbe.
On the 9th of July, Jonno (with help from Paul and myself) lead a JC training to teach the older girls about their role and responsibilities as counselors and role models for the camp participants. The other girls for the camp arrived the 10thof July. The camp started the 10th and closed with a party for the participants and their parents on the 16th. Each day of camp began with breakfast followed by an environmental lesson, a health lesson, and a guest speaker presentation before breaking for lunch. After lunch the girls did an art/crafts activity, followed by a life skills session and then a cultural activity before dinner. After dinner, the girls watched films like Planet Earth, Mulan, and Bend it like Beckham before heading to bed.
Environmental lessons taught by Sarah and myself covered trees/pepineres, moringa/nutrition, trash management, animals/ecology, and environmental issues. Hygiene lessons taught by Amber covered basic first aid, dental hygiene, washing hands, and neem lotion. Paul taught sexual health about HIV/AIDS and organized guest speakers: Madame Ly taught the girls about STIs and talked about her work as a matrone, Cheikh Diallo (Jonno’s host dad) talked about the right to education, Kadhiata Ba talked about her entrepreneurship women’s group who makes/sells yogurt and gardens while also providing trainings to surrounding villages. I held sessions about tye-dye and pottery while Amber taught the girls to make homemade shampoos, conditioner, lipgloss, and face scrub. Jonno and Hadiel taught life skill lessons about role models, forming short/long term goals, effective communication, and self-esteem. Evan taught the girls about cultures around the world through sports, food, dance, and collages.
On the last day, each girl invited a family member to come to Ndioum for a party. We ate good food, the girls showed their parents and loved ones what they had been doing all week, Tidiane gave a small speech to the girls, the girls presented their action plans to help people in their communities, and each girl received a certificate for her achievements. It was amazing to see girls from such different backgrounds making friends with each other and growing in confidence when voicing their opinions and ideas. We hope the girls learned skills and knowledge that will help them make good decisions and motivate them to become the future leaders of Senegal.
Michelle Sylvester Scholarship
April-July 2011, Middle School of Ndioum
Binta Diop, 4eme, hopes to become a pharmacist, MSS Winner
Aissatou Diallo, 4eme, hopes to become a French teacher, MSS winner
Aissata Gueye, 6eme, hopes to become a minister, MSS winner
Mame Diarra Thiam, 4eme, hopes to become a doctor
The Michelle Sylvester Scholarship awards 9 girls (3 from each grade of 4eme, 5eme, and 6eme-not pictured here is Lamy Abdoulaye Mbacke, 5eme, who hopes to become an English Professor) with a 5,000 Fcfa to pay their 2012-2013 school inscription fee. All girls are good students who are motivated and bright but lack monetary means, putting them at high risk of dropping out of school. We interview all candidates and visit their homes. The girls write essays and get teacher recommendations. After that, grades are collected and we recommend 6 semi-finalists. Out of the 6, 3 girls are chosen by a scholarship committee of PCVs to receive an additional 15,000 Fcfa to pay for books, notebooks, pens, and other school supplies. Our MSS winners this yer are Binta Diop, Aissatou Diallo, and Aissata Gueye.
Hadjirata Sall, 5eme, hopes to become a chief of enterprise
Fatimata Ndiaye, 6eme, hopes to become an airplane hostess
Tacko Lam, 6eme, hopes to become a nurse
Fatimata Diop, 5eme, hopes to become a minister, mayor, or director
CCBI Training for Educators of the Podor Department
26 January 2011, Ndioum
The Podor Deparment is served by four Environmental Education volunteers and three Health volunteers. Six of these volunteers invited teachers from their community’s primary schools to attend a training held by APCD Mamdou Diaw on how to incorporate environment and nutrition education into the normal school curriculum. Community-Content Based Instruction (CCBI) is an approach that tries to increase knowledge and critical thinking through lessons that incorporate locally relevant issues important to the everyday lives of students. For example, we could incorporate information about the importance of washing hands into a French lesson or look at germination rates and fractions in a tree nursery in a math lesson. The training focused especially on nutrition education and the uses of moringa as a nutritional supplement.
Awa Tourney on Sexual Health and Gender Development
14-15 January 2011, Ndioum
The evening of the 14th, students from the Ndioum middle school watched Elle Travaille, Elle Vite!, a film made by PCVs from Senegal on the importance of staying in school and the major role of women in society and development of Senegal. The following morning, Awa Traore, a PC training coordinator who focuses greatly on gender development, talked to the same group on sexual health and gender equality.
16 January 2011, Podor
Awa came and talked to a group of Podor middle school girls about sexual health and gender equality. This talk was especially memorable because one girl revealed that her teacher had asked her to have sex with him; she refused and her grades had been declining since then.
Podor Primary School Amadou Sy Latrine Project
January 2011, Podor
This latrine project was done in the elementary school located close to our house in the Sinthiane quartier. The project affected both the girls and boys latrines. The girls latrine were improperly ventilated and had broken doors and both latrines were clogged with dirt and rocks. The Appropriate Projects funds went to creating ventilation windows in the girls’ latrine building, repairing and improving doors, fixing any broken turkish toilets, repairing the cement floor, unplugging the latrines, building a wall to isolate one toilet in the boys latrine room for the teachers, and making water buckets to put in each toilet for proper flushing and toilet maintenance.
See how the project began here. Since the project’s completion, the latrines have been clean and accessible to students. Before the repairs, students would routinely go outside and behind the building. Now on a regular basis, I see groups of students using the latrines.
Thank you to Appropriate Projects, Janine and Bob (and Mom, Dad, Nick, Mikey, and Louie), and Yuan Gao for your donations! See the full conclusion report here.
Moringa Tourney
2-6 November 2010, Matam region
The Moringa Tourney consisted of a two-part tour of the Matam region in collaboration between Peace Corps and Counterpart International. The First part in July 2010 used the skills of agriculture PCVs to teach 36 villages how to create and plant intensive moringa beds. Half the beds were planted with a 10-centimeter spacing and the other half with a 20-centimeter spacing. Each community was asked to make a second bed to demonstrate what the villagers learned. In November 2010, the second team of Health and Environmental Education volunteers returned to all 36 communities to teach the communities how to harvest and use the moringa leaves as a nutritional supplement, make manure tea, and out-plant cuttings. Additionally, moringa samples were taken to compare the 10- and 20-centimeter spacings in leaf production.
Guia Primary School Latrine Project
October 2010, Guia
Before:
This latrine project was done in a community 5 km from Podor. Three of the four latrines were completely blocked with dust and rocks. The Appropriate Projects funds went to unplugging the latrines, renovating the sewage tank, and building a hand-washing room. See how the project began here.
After:
See the project here. Thank you to Appropriate Projects, the Levy family, the Tiee Family, Janine and Bob, Nicole, Lauren, Mary, Mikhail for your donations!
25 health workers from Ndioum, Gamadji Sare, and Toulde Galle were invited to attend a training led by the Ndioum Health Post Chef Saidou Sall. Over the course of two days, the health workers learned about the different types of tuberculosis (TB), TB in Senegal, the issues related to HIV-TB coinfection and drug-resistant TB, treatment using the WHO-recommended DOTS strategy, negative stigmas surrounding TB, and the role health workers in controlling the spread of TB. The participants learned much about TB and the training was especially beneficial to the health worker Thierno Thiam who is in charge of all TB cases throughout the commune of Ndioum.
Maddy
Paul
