Regional fit for school programme, with a focus on pandemic preparedness

Project description

Title: Regional fit for school programme, with a focus on pandemic preparedness
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Cambodia
Lead executing agency: Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport
Overall term: 2011 to 2013

Context

Mortality rates among infants and under-five-year-olds are relatively high in Cambodia. The leading causes of child morbidity and mortality are infectious diseases, such as acute respiratory infections and dengue fever. Children contribute to the rapid spread of infectious diseases through the densely populated environments of their schools and family networks. This makes school health projects an important entry point for public health education and health promotion.

Objective

School children and their households observe the rules of personal hygiene and know about their importance in preventing diseases. Pilot schools and school staff contribute to strengthening pandemic preparedness and resilience. Heads of schools are aware of infectious diseases and contribute to their early detection and responses to outbreaks.

Approach

The project is being piloted in ten public elementary schools in Cambodia. As local ownership is seen as essential for its sustainability, key strategies in the approach include the empowerment of the head teachers, the creation of multisectoral technical working groups at the local level, and the involvement of parents and the communities in its implementation and monitoring.

In order to promote child health and disease prevention the project is promoting three evidence-based and effective interventions: daily handwashing with soap, teeth brushing with fluoride toothpaste, and twice-yearly mass de-worming actions. It has been proven that handwashing with soap is the single most effective intervention for preventing infectious diseases as it interrupts their transmission from one infected person to another. Studies suggest that washing one’s hands with soap after using the toilet, before preparing food and before eating can reduce the incidence of diarrhoea by up to 47% and bring a reduction of up to 30% in respiratory infections.

Handwashing and the brushing of teeth are now performed in schools as daily group activities, under the supervision of a teacher. Where necessary, special facilities are being constructed for these activities, in order to ensure access to safe water. By practising personal hygiene on a daily basis, the children develop healthy habits and life skills.

On behalf of BMZ, the project is supported by the German Pandemic Preparedness Initiative of GIZ.