Nigeria has one of the severest infant mortality rates linked to death from the symptoms of Diarrhoea in the world. As part of a cluster of activities to address these problems, Save the Children Nigeria has mobilised children as activists in their communities. Between January 2016 and the end of 2018 40 school health clubs were set up in Shomolu district, Lagos. Children learned twelve messages and sets of activities based around four topics:
- Hygiene and sanitation
- Nutrition
- Immunisation
- Diarrhoea.
Each of the messages are linked to a part of the WHO 7-point diarrhoea prevention and control plan. Each school has a set of ZuZu and ZaZa parrots to help them!
Club members then spread messages to other children in the school and all children spread the messages to their families and communities.
Children for Health worked alongside the Save the Children to design the curriculum for the clubs, to design training for the facilitators, to design master training and to help with the monitoring and evaluation.
Children for Health was also involved in creating the story of ‘Bayo’s Journey: To Save Lola from Diarrhoea’ in the form of a ‘Speaking Book’.
A Speaking Book
Child-centred Participatory Methods in Children’s Health and Hygiene Clubs – A Training of Master Trainers for Save the Children India
The schools and the children are enthusiastic and actively promoting the messages and activities in their classes and communities. The clubs are full with parents keen for the children to join up and become leaders.
Children for Health has also conducted training and re-purposed the three sets of materials for a similar Save the Children Programme in India with Children’s Health and Hygiene Clubs.