-
The Little Doctors programme trained students to monitor the cleanliness of their schools and their classmates' hygiene.
-
The students were taught to bathe, wash their hands and brush their teeth regularly.
-
Keeping their fingernails trimmed was also part of the programme.
-
The children monitor their classmates' nails every week.
-
The programme also taught them the importance of nutritious meals and a healthy breakfast each day before school.
The children had grimy hands and dirty teeth, and their schools were littered with rubbish. So in addition to helping rebuild a basic health infrastructure after the tsunami, Plan taught children basic hygiene and coached cadres of young "Little Doctors" to help make their communities cleaner and healthier.
"They didn't understand why they must wash their hands. They didn't understand why they should brush their teeth. They didn't care about their school. There was rubbish everywhere, and they did not even have a rubbish bin," said Ibu Yuli, who headed Plan's health education programme in Aceh.
Great strides toward healthier communities
When Plan first started working in Aceh after the tsunami, we encountered serious health problems, so we delivered emergency water supplies for some 40,000 people, and provided nutritional supplements when food was unreliable. We constructed, equipped and trained staff for 39 village health posts, as well as 25 maternal care clinics.
Through the child-centred Little Doctors programme, we turned to 4th to 6th grade students at 12 schools 20 children per school to raise awareness about personal hygiene, cleanliness of the surrounding environment and nutrition.
The results of all our combined efforts were astounding. Monitoring the prevalence of malnutrition, anaemia and diarrhoea among children and pregnant women for two years after the tsunami, we found that severe malnutrition was eliminated and moderate malnutrition rates had decreased from 15.4 per cent to 2.7 per cent.
The Little Doctor trainees learned through games and lessons to check that their classmates trimmed their nails, brushed their teeth, washed their hands, bathed regularly and wore shoes. They also provided limited first aid, monitored the height and weight of fellow students and brought other students together to pick up garbage and clean their school and community.
Children as catalysts for change
The challenge now is for the children to pass these habits on to adults in the community and teachers, who, said Ibu Yuli, were her most challenging students. Plan trained a total of 85 teachers and supervisors.
"It was difficult to train the teachers. The children were happy because they learned through games, and it was new for them," she said. "For the teachers, it was also new, but it was hard to change their behaviour because they had already worked at their schools under these conditions for a long time. They would say, It's fine. Why should we change our behaviour?'"
When Ibu Yuli later returned to visit the schools, the students ran up to her and told her, "Sister, look -- my nails and my hands are clean. We have regular clean up for our school, and we cut our nails every Friday."
Some of the children now dream that one day they will earn medical degrees and help their communities as real doctors.
