Upper West ADRA trains teachers on health issues

Loho (UW), Feb. 23, GNA - The Upper West Regional Directorate of Adventist and Relief Agency (ADRA) has embarked on a mass education programme to increase knowledge on water and sanitation, malnutrition, HIV/AIDS and other health related problems in the region.

The programme aims at educating about 5,000 children throughout the Wa, Nadowli and Jirapa/Lambussie Districts at the end of this year. Mr. Samson Fordjour, Regional Co-ordinator of ADRA who announced these at the beginning of a five-day workshop 24 participants selected from the Wa, Nadowli and Jirapa/Lambussie Districts said the workshop was the second in the series.

He said ADRA was collaborating effectively with the Ghana Education Service (GES) and Ghana Health Service (GHS) to ensure that their set goals were achieved to reduce the incidence of hygiene related diseases. Mr. Fordjour said malnutrition was a major problem militating against development as both the government and individuals were spending so much money on health than development projects.

The Regional Co-ordinator said the teachers would be taught the use of Behavioural Change Communication (BCC), inter-personal communication, basic facts about foods, nutritional needs of pregnant and lactating mothers, promotion of breastfeeding, gender development, the causes, signs, symptoms of malaria, HIV/AIDS and all water related diseases. Mr. Fordjour said apart from the workshop, they would also organise periodic follow-ups with films and other teaching aids to help the people understand their policies.

He appealed to the teachers to share their knowledge with other teachers as a way of increasing knowledge among the people. The five-day workshop was organised by ADRA and sponsored by USAID.