ZuZu & ZaZa the Children for Health Mascots
Children for Health’s mascots are two scarlet macaws: ZuZu & ZaZa.
ZuZu is ZaZa’s older brother, ZaZa is ZuZu’s younger sister and together they help Children for Health with so many of our programmes, materials and activities. They are being adopted by partner organisations and can be found in schools in Mozambique and Nigeria where they are involved in role plays, singing, dancing and choral speaking. They feature in our Stories for Health.
We imagine that ZuZu is an ‘older brother’ (of around 10-12) and ZaZa his ‘younger sister’. This means that they can be used to tell stories about the caring role in families between children but reversing the more common gender role of older girls looking after younger children. However the puppets can also take on other personalities as needed.
ZuZu & ZaZa…
- Make everybody smile when they see them and hear them squawk! They are a reminder that the work we do at Children for Health is about being light and playful and having fun as we focus on health and other serious topics.
- Parrots are a bird known for their intelligence and ability to relate to humans.
- Many types of parrots can listen to human voices and repeat what is said. At Children for Health we seek to listen to children and amplify their views and opinions.
- Puppets in general can be used in puppet shows and dramas to tackle issues that my be too sensitive otherwise. Hygiene, Diarrhoea, Family illness, Nutrition and HIV and AIDS can raise sensitive issues in families. Children can speak ‘through’ or talk to puppets.
- They are eye catching and memorable.
- Playing with the parrots can develop creativity and imagination in children and adults working with them.