Association for Applied Health Education And Development

Africa AHEAD is excited to report that 31 members of Impiloyethu Community Health Club graduated 10 April 2010.  In recognition of their efforts, a morning ceremony was held at the Education Centre at the Northern Treatment Works in Durban.

Impiloyethu members sing about the importance of health and hygiene

The events began with a public viewing of the CHC’s agri-tubes, tyre-step project and communal improvements attributed to the CHC at Johanna Road/Boxwood Place.  After which, the attendees gathered at the Education Centre for a Welcome Address by eThekwini Water Services Education Trainer Lucky Sibiya, who has been part and parcel of the project.  Master of Ceremonies, Africa AHEAD project officer Ndyebo Mgangqizana then introduced Impiloyethu who treated guests to song and dance, centered around the importance of health and hygiene.

An EWS senior official delivered the keynote address of the morning. He stressed the importance of health and sanitation in our communities, noting the important improvements that Impiloyethu has been the driving force of at Johanna Road. He encouraged them to continue on their mission of making their community a better place for all of its residents.

A mother takes her baby suffering from diarrhea and dehydration to the clinic in Impiloyethu's drama

Africa AHEAD Project Manager Nancy Maksimoski followed with a powerpoint presentation which visually highlighted the changes that have occurred at Johanna Road since the formation of the CHC on both a household and communal level.

The highlight of the afternoon was most certainly Impiloyethu’s educational drama involving the importance of hygiene and proper treatment of diarrhea in children, which they wrote themselves. Impiloyethu hopes to show other communities and groups their drama to raise awareness about these issues.

The ceremony concluded with a presentation of certificates to all graduates and closing remarks from Africa AHEAD Dr. Juliet Waterkeyn.

CHC member Mpanza receives his certificate from Lucky Sibiya, while Africa AHEAD facilitator Ndyebo Mgangqizana looks on

Africa AHEAD and EWS are both very proud of the work done by Impiloyethu in the past few months and look forward to their upcoming projects at Johanna Road.

“Community means strength that joins our strength to do the work that needs to be done. Arms to hold us when we falter. A circle of healing. A circle of friends.” -Starhawk, Human Rights & Eco-Activist

August 10th, 2010 | Tags: Diarrhoeal Diseases, Durban, Health Clubs, Informal Settlements, Pilot Projects, Women | Category: Countries, KwaZulu-Natal, SOUTH AFRICA | Leave a comment

August 2010. J. Waterkeyn

CHCs are spreading rapidly in Africa, but the question remains, ‘Can they appeal to more sophisticated rural communities in Asia?’   How can we adapt the CHC methodology to suit this very different scenario.

Since November 2009, when Ministry of Health (MoH) in Vietnam first decided to use the CHC Approach,  they have, without any external support from Africa AHEAD, simply got on with the job of establishing a pilot project in four provinces: Son La, Ha Tinh, Phu Tho, and Ninh Tuan. One of the initial barriers to starting up CHCs is always the lengthy process of developing a Toolkit and Manual, and this has been done in the past six months by Africa AHEAD, supported by Danida for Vietnam MoH. However having decided to ‘do’ CHCs, there was no sitting around in Vietnam whilst waiting for the training materials to be developed.

Participants at the ToT workshop in Phu Tho, July 2010.

Dr Bang of the MoH e4njoys the sessions on Open defecation having contributed his own drawing

When I returned in July 2010 for the ‘start up workshop’ equipped  with the new manual and toolkit , we found we were lagging behind our participants, who said,  ‘Yes, interesting, we know all this, we already have CHCs!’  I was surprised to find that CHCs were not only formed up, but operating, and there are about 40 CHCs in total, 10 in each Province. Two provinces had already started the health sessions without assistence and had done 12 sessions, half of the course. They  had even developed a monitoring system based on the membership cards, having printed attendence books. Such is the power of an organised governmental system, where if the directive is given from above, the cadres below simply do it… no excuses, just get on with the job. From my experience in Africa where most external initiaitives, like a cow being driven to market on a long dusty road, need constant prodding by the driver, here I was runnng to keep up with the pace of the Asian buffalo, a symbol of hard work and fortitude in Vietnam mythology.

A Sing Song at the first CHC we met in Vietnam

A field trip was arranged to go to Da Du village in Phu Tho Province, three hours north of Hanoi. We drove up to the village Community House in the evening, where hundreds of scooters were parked, whilst people squeezed into the hall, waiting for our party of 10 outsiders to arrive. The hall was packed with around 60 men, women and children, as fascinated to see us as we were to see them.   One after another,  men and women provided  the entertainment,  without a shread of self consciousness singing gloriously into the microphone.

A traditional Vietnamese instrument provided fascinating wailing music

The Master of Ceremonies was a dedicated community organiser and  a war vet with one arm. He introduced the community members: women bravely warbling out their strong patriotic songs full of love for Vietnam,  a man who played  a  mean mouth organ, which must have survived from the war against the American GIs in the 70’s and a more traditional musician playing a one stringed  instrument, adding a surreal Chinese tinge to our spirits which soured as each speech became more and more fired up with energy for the universal cause of Health for All by 2015.

They told us that they gather every week like this for one hour of song and the second hour of health education, and using the PA system makes it all the move enthralling. Karioke in Vietnam, like most of urban Asia is very popular, and here the rural folk were having home grown plugged in performance.

Under the sagaceous gaze of Ho Chi Minh, the saviour and hero of Vietnam, the times were a-changing, but really were they?  I couldnt help feeling the CHC approach fits perfectly into a society used to  celluar socialist organisation. In Africa  we have largely dyfunctional rural communities as the brain drain to the towns leaves the less able and more conservative in the ‘rurals’,  eeking out  a basic subsistence whilst living largely on remittances from their folk in town.

Here in Vietnam, one of the last communist countries, the north still operates from the top down and the people are organised by the party, and unlike Africa they are not disorganised communities in the rural areas.

The rural areas of Vietnam  are highly regulated,  with ‘mass organisations’ like the Womens Union, that plays a key role in development in Vietnam. The people have survived  years of war and poverty and in their desperation are highly motivated to progress. It appears they only need a good reason to get together with an agenda to improve and they will achieve.

Community Health Clubs resonate with their needs. Unlike the Womens Union which are purely for women, CHCs provide a forum for men and women to get together and solve some of their health issues together.

Our Vietnamese counterparts said that they had been ‘nerveous’ as to whether the CHC would work, but having seen this CHC in the flesh, they were now ‘confident of success’ of the Methodology. I felt just the same, with a new generation primed for take off.

A child identifies key messages on the visual aids developed for the programme

August 9th, 2010 | Tags: Baseline Data, Behaviour Change, Community Health, Danida, Diarrhoeal Diseases, Health Clubs, Health Promotion, Hygiene Behaviour, Hygiene Behaviour & Practices, Pilot Projects, Rural Areas, Vietnam, Women | Category: VIETNAM | Leave a comment

March 2010

After 6 months of health promotion modules, impressive improvements have occurred at the Johanna Road Informal Settlement in the eThekwini Municipality, as measured by our Household Observations Survey, and as observed through communal changes and activities.

Research

From the baseline surveys, it was identified that the most problematic areas were low practice of zero open defecation (ZOD) (7%) and pour-to-waste method (16.3%), and a high presence of ringworm infection (18.6%).  After 6 months of health promotion sessions, 100% of CHC member households have ZOD and no visible ringworm, while pour-to-waste method has increasd to 88.5% of CHC households.  In addition to ZOD and no ringworm, 100% of CHC households now use a ladle, safely store their water and food, have a pot rack, and know how to make salt-sugar-solution to treat dehydration from diarrhea.

None of the CHC members have a handwashing facility, which Africa AHEAD believes is due to the majority of club members being located near a standpipe or ablution block.  Therefore, they use these facilities to wash their hands, to limit the amount of grey water they need to dispose of near their house.

CHC Activities

Demonstration grey water agri-tube garden at Johanna Road

Gardening

As documented in previous reports, the Johanna Road CHC communal and personal gardens have flourished.  In recognition of the CHC’s talent and hard work, the eThekwini Department of Water provided 15 grey water agri-tube gardens designed by Khanyisa Projects to club members on 2 February, with seedlings delivered 3 March.  Another round of approximately 20 agri-tubes will be delivered in the middle of March, to the remaining graduating club members.  One or two “Coke Bottle” grey water gardens will also be piloted in the settlement to determine which system better fits the environment.

Projects

The CHCs have plans for a very exciting community wide project – a tyre-step pathway to link Boxwood Place to Johanna Road.  As the settlement is located along the side of a steep hill, it can be very difficult and dangerous to traverse the settlement, especially in rainy weather.  The tyre-step pathway will help to make this task easier, as the current dirt trail will be replaced with steps.  Africa AHEAD has contacted companies to supply the tyres, and the DWS has agreed to provide tools (10 spades, 10 hoes, 10 forks, and 30 pairs of gloves) for the project.  The CHC has communicated with the community leaders and other residents, as they envision this to be a community-wide project.  They hope to commence work on the project second Saturday in March.

CHC members are also continuing to collect glass bottles as part of their new recycling project.  Africa AHEAD has approached the Municipality about the possibility of organizing transport for CHC members to Pinetown in order for them to learn more first hand about recycling.

In recognition that only so much improvement can be made to the grey water and drainage issues with education, the DWS is rehabilitating the bottom ablution block.  In addition to fixing the bottom ablution block, the DWS has agreed to put in a channeling system at the standpipe on Boxwood Place, so excess water from the tap can be diverted to the vegetable gardens located behind the standpipe.  The DWS began the project 4 March, with plans to complete it by 10 March.

Graduation

In recognition of the completion of the health promotion sessions, a graduation for the CHC members successfully completing the modules, will be held 11 April at the Northern Water Treatment Works.  The festivities will commence at 8h30 am, with a short walking tour through the settlement, where the new tyre-step pathway will be utilized.

Next Steps

As the CHCs have reached a point of transition. Africa AHEAD will assist Impiloyethu and Sakhimpiloyethu with their merge into one club.  After this is complete, the club will elect an executive board, draft and ratify a constitution, register as a CBO, and open a bank account.  Africa AHEAD plans to help the executive board ease into facilitation of the sessions so the transition goes smoothly.  The CHCs have told Africa AHEAD that they plan to continue to meet on a regular basis to discuss community issues and to plan community activities.  They have also expressed interest in Africa AHEAD’s module on nutrition.

March 8th, 2010 | Tags: Baseline Data, Behaviour Change, Community Health, Diarrhoeal Diseases, Durban, Health Clubs, Health Promotion, Hygiene Behaviour & Practices, Informal Settlements, KwaZulu-Natal, Pilot Projects, SOUTH AFRICA, Vegetable Gardens, Water And Sanitation, Women | Category: Community Health Clubs, Countries, KwaZulu-Natal, SOUTH AFRICA | Leave a comment

COMMUNITY HEALTH CLUBS TO BE STARTED IN VIETNAM

In response to a strong request by the Ministry of Health, Danida agreed to sponsor the introduction of the Community Health Club (CHC) Approach, and the originator of the methodology, Dr. J. Waterkeyn (JW) was invited  to provide training and mentor local consultants so that  a pilot project could beset up to test its effectiveness.  The consultant was engaged for a preliminary assignment to review progress to date and to assist in providing sound training material so that the approach could be scaled up.

The Provinces chosen for the Pilot Project were Son La, PhuTho, Ha Tinh and Ninh Thuan.  Twelve villages in each Province will start CHCs making a total of 48 CHCs if each facilitator runs one club, although it would be hoped that they could manage two or three clubs depending on the size of the area, distance between homes and availability of transport and incentives to participate.  It is expected that each facilitator will aim for a CHC of 100 members, and if this is multiplied by the number in the households who will benefit from improved hygiene, it can be estimated that the programme will serve a minimum of 2,400 people, or twice that if each facilitator runs two clubs.

The Pilot project will be integrated into existing structures such as the Women’s Union, although it should be appreciated that CHC’s embrace the whole community, not just women, as men are as important as women when it comes to disease transmission., and the CHC provides a forum for open debate on subjects that my otherwise be taboo or ignored.

The CHC will also try to mould the training so that it results in outputs that will enable families to be recognised as Cultural Families, and for CHC Villages to have the honour of Cultural Villages. Thus the graduation which will reward those who have completed 24 topics, may also include the Cultural Family awards. It is expected that local dignitaries and village leaders will avail themselves and support those who attain this level of hygiene and that the Graduation will become a day of celebration that can be an ongoing reminder to maintain good hygiene standards.

It is expected that the training will begin in December and be completed by July 2010. However before this time it would be ideal if a second Stage of the Training were planned to enable all the criteria for a Cultural Family to be met. The 1^st Stage focuses on water and sanitation, and home  hygiene, and aims to prevent common diseases such as diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera, helminthes, skin and eye disease, ARI’s as well as Swine flu, Avian Fly and Malaria. The 2^nd stage should ensure that nutrition, child care, immunisation, good parenting, substance abuse and other social issues are addressed in a complete Tool Kit which will build on the knowledge gained in Stage 1.

January 20th, 2010 | Tags: Asia, Community Health, Danida, Diarrhoeal Diseases, Disease Transmission, Facilitator, Health Clubs, Health Department, Hygiene Behaviour & Practices, Hygiene Promotion, Ministry Of Health, Rural Areas, Training Materials, Vietnam | Category: Community Health Clubs, VIETNAM | Leave a comment

This poster is a visual summary of the Danida funded IWRM project in South Africa, where 10 CHCs achieved high levels of behaviour change within an 8 month period.

2009.KZN poster.pdf

January 20th, 2010 | Tags: Baseline Data, Behaviour Change, Case Study, Community Health, Danida, Diarrhoeal Diseases, DWAF, Hand Washing, Hygiene Promotion, Integrated Water Resource Management, KwaZulu-Natal, Poster, SOUTH AFRICA, Water And Sanitation, Water Storage, Women | Category: Download PDFs, Health Promotion, Hygiene, KwaZulu-Natal, SOUTH AFRICA | Leave a comment

Community Health Clubs were started in Mutare, Zimbabwe in an effort to combat the rapid spread of Cholera in Zimbabwe in 2009. This is an inspiring account of how well mobilised women were able to role back this deadly threat and prevent any daths from cholera in this high risk area. The paper presented at IWA Conference in Mexico 2009, also includes an example from Uganda where overcrowding and poor sanitation in IDP Camps was similarly addressed through Community Health Clubs.

Cholera Mitigation in Zimbabwe and Uganda Case Study

January 20th, 2010 | Tags: Case Study, Cholera, Community Health, Diarrhoeal Diseases, Hand Washing, Health Clubs, Health Promotion, Hygiene Behaviour & Practices, Informal Settlements, Mexico, Participatory Activities, Solid Waste Disposal, UGANDA, Water And Sanitation, Women, ZIMBABWE | Category: Download PDFs, HIDO, Health Promotion, Hygiene, UGANDA, ZIMBABWE, ZIMBABWE AHEAD | Leave a comment

A short summary of hygiene behaviour change in Zimbabwe, updating from the ground breaking early projects in 2001 in Tsholtsho, to recent projects in Chipinge where similat levels of change are being recorded. It points a way forward as to how the MDGs can be achieved by scaling up the CHC approach as is being done in Rwanda and Vietnam  where the model is being institutionalised within the Ministry of Health.

Zimbabe Chipinge Case Study

January 20th, 2010 | Tags: Baseline Data, Behaviour Change, Case Study, Community Health, Diarrhoeal Diseases, Health Clubs, Health Promotion, Hygiene Behaviour, Hygiene Behaviour & Practices, Hygiene Promotion, Mercy Corps, Ministry Of Health, RWANDA, Training Materials, Vietnam, Water And Sanitation, Women, ZIMBABWE | Category: Download PDFs, Health Promotion, ZIMBABWE, ZIMBABWE AHEAD | Leave a comment

This is a summary of the achievements of a pilot project which was using Community Health Clubs to promote hygiene behaviour change in  Kwa Zulu Natal, and shows that this is an effective methodology for sound development in rural South Africa

South Africa KZN Rural Case Study

January 20th, 2010 | Tags: Behaviour Change, Case Study, Community Health, Diarrhoeal Diseases, DWAF, Health Clubs, Hygiene Behaviour, Integrated Water Resource Management, KwaZulu-Natal, Methodology, Mexico, Millennium Development Goals, Rural Areas, SOUTH AFRICA, Water And Sanitation, Women | Category: Countries, Download PDFs, Health Promotion, Hygiene, IWRM, KwaZulu-Natal, SOUTH AFRICA | Leave a comment

READ THE LATEST NEWS FROM SOUTH AFRICA – (click here)

PROJECTS UNDERTAKEN IN SOUTH AFRICA

1. Development of generic CHC Training manual and extensive PHAST Tool Kit for Informal Settlements (City Health Department- Danida)

2. Training for City Health Department of facilitators to start CHCs in Informal Settlements near Cape Town

3. Support to Hygiene Promotion Partnership for base line survey to ascertain level of hygiene behaviour change in 4 informal settlements

4. Feasibility study for Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM)to start CHCs in 3 water catchment areas in South Africa ( DWAF-Danida)

5. Planning and implementation of a comprehensive CHC programme in the rural areas of Kwa Zulu Natal for DWAF-IWRM (See Map: A)

6. Training of 25 Sangoco facilitators to start CHCs in North West province (Sangoco NGOs- DWAF-Danida) (See Map: B)

7. Training of Water and Sanitation Forum facilitators to start health clubs in Khayelitsha (for University of Western Cape)

8. Planning and implementation of a pilot CHC project in eThikweni (Durban) informal settlement

1.PHAST Manual and Tool Kit to enable scaling up of training

In 2008 Africa AHEAD, in conjunction with the City Health Department, developed and published a dedicated manual

Community Health Clubs in Informal Settlements: A training manual for community workers using participatory activities. Developed by J. Waterkeyn for City of Cape Town Health Department. Funded by Danida. Illustration by Itayi Njagu.

This manual comes with a comprehensive PHAST Tool Kit for informal Settlements consisting of 13 essential topics related to home hygiene.

The training comprises of three Modules:

Module 1: Feasibility: the Rationale for the Community Health Club Approach

A one day training for Managers and decision makers to enable them to visualise and understand the reason for ‘doind development’ through Community Health Clubs)

Module 2: Planning: How to start a Community Health Club Project:

A three day training for middle management and supervisors as well as the facilitators of the CHCs.

Module 3: PHAST Participatory Activities for Informal Settlements

A six day training for facilitators only to enable them to use all the PHAST toools and carry out 24 training sessions with community Health cubs

Please contact juliet@africaahead.com for more information if you are interested in this training.

2. City Health Department Pilot Community Health Clubs in the Cape Flats

2008. Belleville Cape Town: the first CHC facilitators to be trained

The first batch of trainees were passed after a six day workshop in March 2008, and are expected each to start one health club. Although the xenophobic riot of 2008 affected the start up of health clubs in many areas there is at least one success story in Phillippi. There are over 200 members in three health clubs and their training is providing an inspiration to replicate the project in other areas. In the near future all the CHCs will be assessed by Africa AHEAD with a view to learning lessons as to how the health clubs are being received in the Cape Flats. It appears that there have been several challenges including the difficulty of the members to meet during the xenophobic unrest that swept the informal settlements in South Africa last year. there are also concerns as to how the health club facilitators were supported and if there was enough supervision by Environmental health Personel to ensure that the sessions were heald as planned in the workshop.

Another training is to due to be hele in April / May supported by the Health Department , when the next intake of community members will be trained by Africa AHEAD to start Community Health Clubs in different areas.

3. Feasibility Study for Integrated Water Resource Management

In 2000, the South African Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF), with the assistance of the Royal Danish Government (DANIDA), initiated a program to pilot Integrated Water Resource and Management (IWRM) approaches in three Water Management Areas (WMA) of South Africa: the Olifants-Doorn (Western Cape Province), the Crocodile-Marico (North West Province), and the Mzimkhulu-Mvoti (Kwa-Zulu Natal Province). These WMAs were selected as they represent a cross-section of water resources conditions as well as water use conditions and user interests. Phase 2 of this project, which focuses more on direct support and partnerships at local, regional and national levels, was begun in 2006 and is set to last until 2010. For more information about IWRM activities in South Africa, please visit www.iwrm.co.za.

The CHC Approach will contribute to the goals of IWRM by building a strong foundation of knowledge, cooperation and behavior change in each of the targeted communities. This foundation will then be used to successfully implement a variety of projects such as rain water harvesting, nutrition gardening, income generation, HIV/AIDS case management, and improved management of sanitation facilities.

In May 2008, Africa AHEAD was invited to assess the feasibility of piloting Community Health Clubs (CHC) in targeted areas within the three WMAs. Between May and September 2008, stakeholders were engaged, situational analyses and site visits were conducted, and project proposals and plans were submitted.

4. Community Health Club Pilot Project in Umzimkhulu: Kwa Zulu Natal

Participants in a Health Club Training Workshop in Umzimkhulu - Jan 2009

The team: Project Officer Moses, Council Representative Tabiso and Jason Project Manager for Africa AHEAD in Umzimkhulu

Africa AHEAD has been contracted to implement a pilot project in the Mzimkhulu-Mvoti WMA, within the Umzimkhulu Municipality. Umzimkhulu which is located in the foothills of the Southern Drakensberg Mountains. Until recently Umzimkhulu was a part of the Eastern Cape Province, and as a result the levels of development in this district are far below the standards found in the rest of the Kwa Zulu Natal. According to the Municipality’s 2008 Integrated Development Plan, 40.2% of the population has access to piped water sources, with the remainder using unprotected sources such as rivers, streams and springs. In addition, while 92.9% of households reportedly have access to sanitation facilities, the majority of these facilities are neither safe nor hygienic. This low level of development is ideal territory to start a community health club programme as past research has shown.

The project in Umzimkhulu began to take shape from Septemeber 2008, as the Municipal Council approved the implementation of CHCs in all 18 Wards, a Project Steering Committee was constituted, the sites for implementation were selected and Africa AHEAD welcomed its newest team member, Mr. Moses Mncwabe, Project Officer for the Umzimkhulu project. The site selection process was a competitive one, with interested Ward Councilors submitting an application form indicating the communities they wanted to participate and the names of potential facilitators to be trained by Africa AHEAD. 10 Councilors who submitted applications, to join the programme and the Project Steering Committee selected one community and facilitators from each ward. Community Health Clubs have now formed up and facilitators have been trained in base line research. the base line survey was completed in January 2009, and the PHAST training is to be started in mid February, and continue every second week. Facilitators will then rely the training back to their ward where their health clubs will meet every week. The training will be complete with six months, by the end of August 2009.

5. Replicating through local NGOs: North West Province

Africa AHEAD is working closely with the South African National Non-Governmental Organization Coalition (SANGOCO) to start up CHCs through training the staff of existing local NGO’s in the North West Province and Gauteng. Unlike other projects which are implemented directly by Africa AHEAD, the input in this project is merely to train and mentor the staff of 3 local NGO’s, who will then manage the implementation and activities of CHCs in their catchment areas. While most of the CHCs in this WMA will be formed in communities in and around Mafikeng and Zeerust (North West Province), there is one Community Based Organization in Majaneng (Gauteng Province), near Hammanskraal, that will also be implementing CHCs.

NORTH WEST PROVINCE: Africa AHEAD will be collaborating with SANGOCO and two NGO’s based in the North West Province to implement CHCs, Tlhoafalo Advice Center and Lethabo Water and Sanitation. Each NGO will have between 7-9 staff trained in the CHC Approach by Africa AHEAD and will develop CHCs in 5-6 communities.

GAUTENG PROVINCE: Majaneng is a small rural settlement located on the border of the Gauteng and North West Provinces. In this area, Africa AHEAD will again be collaborating with SANGOCO and one local Community Based Organization, the Kekanastad Traditional Mothers Organization (KETRAMODEO). Africa AHEAD will train 5 members of this organization who will then develop CHCs in 5 sub-areas of Majaneng.

A three day training workshop was held from 11th-13th August 2008, on Module 2: How to start up Community Health Clubs. At this training the NGO staff were given activities to help map and analyse the areas to prioritise within their areas of operation. They were also trained to carry out a base line survey of 100 household in the selected area. This was done through the innovative method of using ordinary cells phones to capture data in the field. (See Publications, Rosenfeld and Waterken, 2008). The data is then automatically collated and preliminary result have been collected and a report issued by Africa AHEAD who are to process the data and provide on going support to enable any behaviour change to be measured effectively. The CHCs have now been formed up, the base line data collected and facilitators from the NGOs are now waiting for the next phase of the training which is being delayed by funding constraints. Local NGO are begging to start the next training as their communities have been mobilised and are loosing interest with such delay.

6. Hygiene Promotion Partnership Research

Brigham Young University, (on behalf of Rickett Benkisser) started a research programme in four informal settlements to establish whether the use of antiseptic cleaning material in home could reduce diarrhoea in low income homes. In order to conduct this research an intervention was planned to monitor 140 clusters in four informal settlements: Phillipi, Du Noon, Kwa 5, and Sweet Home. The model was that each of the 65 facilitators would hold weekly sessions in a cluster of ten homes. As the strategy was very similar to the CHC approach, Africa AHEAD was called on to help develop the training materials for the modules which were prepared by HPP. The beneficiaries of the programme were able to assist in the development of the PHAST Tool Kit and HPP supported the development of the illustrations, and HPP trainers were trained by Africa AHEAD to use the materials. Although this programme has now been completed, many clusters have become viable grass roots groups and anecdotal evidence is strong that they have improved in their home hygiene practices.

Participants learn how to make a squezzy bottle: a practical solution to handwashing outside informal shacks

New Research Findings on Behaviour Change

PUBLICATION:

Comprehensive Family Hygiene Promotion in Peri-urban Cape Town: Gastrointestinal and Skin Disease Reduction in Children Under Five. Cole, E, Hawkley, et al. Brigham Young University.

‘Community based PLA proved to be a powerful approach for reducing illness through supporting families in the adoption of new hygiene practices and in mobilising the communities for health and social change.

Achievements of facilitators and study participants included the health and hygiene situation in households and neighborhoods, setting up of hand-washing stations, teaching children and neighbors correct hand washing methods, instituting child safety practices, influencing vendors to practice hygienic food preparations, managing communal toilet and rubbish pick ups and determining how to link health to local economic development.’

Reduction in disease
Findings from this paper indicate that Skin infections were reduced by 39.1% in formal housing but interestingly not in informal housing.

Gastroinstestinal infections were reduced by 14% in formal housing and by 11% in informal housing.

7. University of the Western Cape – Khayelitsha Sanitation Forum

The concept of Community Health Clubs was first floated in South Africa in 2005, supported by the University of the Western Cape, in a pilot project in Khayelitsha, one of the most challenging informal settlements in the Cape Flats. 25 Facilitators were nominated by the Khayelitsha Sanitation Forum, and training was provided by Africa AHEAD. Due to insufficient support most of the health clubs never took off, but one determined facilitator has shown that CHCs in informal settlements can play an important role in providing support to the needy.

Saviour Maqaloti : The first facilitator to start a Community Health Club in the Cape Flats

Philisanani Community Health Club

One of the facilitators, Saviour ran with the idea and mobilised a huge following of over one hundred members. trained the group over the next six months and Africa AHEAD was delighted to be able to provide certificates for the 25 core members who had completed every session. Some of the group have become voluntary clinical assistants, while another has started a play school and yet another has a voluntary service assisting the pensioners access their pensions and ensure they are properly cared for. The group has become a registered CBO called Philisanani and has recently secured government funding for a second training in home hygiene for which Africa AHEAD is providing certification.

January 18th, 2010 | Tags: Africa Development, Baseline Data, Behaviour Change, City Health Department, Community Health, Danida, Diarrhoeal Diseases, Durban, DWAF, Feasibility Study, Home Hygiene, Hygiene Behaviour, Hygiene Promotion, Informal Settlement, Informal Settlements, Integrated Water Resource Management, KwaZulu-Natal, North West Province, Participatory Activities, Pilot Projects, Sangoco, SOUTH AFRICA, University Of Western Cape, Water And Sanitation, Water Resource Management, Women | Category: Countries, KwaZulu-Natal, SOUTH AFRICA | Leave a comment