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Health Education and Information
The EAC believes that health education is vital to the well-being of the community we serve. As in other parts of Africa, Malaria, Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS are present in our community, and prenatal and childbirth care are virtually non-existent. Given these circumstances, it is vital that people know how to recognize signs of disease, how to prevent disease, and when to seek medical help.
To help improve the health of families in our community, the EAC provides health education classes as an off-shoot of our adult-education program. We also have a wealth of health information available in our library which is open to the community, 5-days a week. Our classes and literature cover topics including maternal and child health, nutrition, malaria prevention and HIV/AIDS.
We recognize that although health education and information is extremely important, it cannot take the place of actual health care services, and such services are desperately needed in our community. It is our goal to start a health care clinic in 2006. This clinic will provide general health care services to the local community, and act as a liaison with major health care providers located farther away.
It is also our goal to help to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS and to offer treatment when possible, particularly among mothers in the community we serve. Thousands of children are orphaned every year in Africa due to HIV/AIDS. Without parents to care for them, they often face severe hardship, and are more likely themselves to be the victims of rape, abuse, hunger and disease. The EAC believes that by helping HIV/AIDS infected mothers to survive, families will be kept intact longer, and children will have an opportunity for a better life.
Your financial support is vital to the creation of our new health clinic. Please make a contribution, or email us at info [at] eastafricancenter [dot] org if you are able to donate medical supplies or serve as a medical volunteer with us in Takaungu.
Health Education
Starting in 2008, the EAC’s health education program began to focus heavily on HIV/AIDS awareness and education. We use the PEPFAR “Stay Alive” curriculum, an abstinence program for children aged 9-14 years. We are now running this program in 4 different local schools, holding one session at each school each week. There are currently more than 300 local students attending the program.
For older students and adults, a new curriculum has been introduced in 2009 that focuses on safe sex, the importance of getting tested for HIV/AIDS, and the available treatment and counseling plans. This class is held once a week for different community groups including fishermen and women who sell fish, our own women’s sewing group, the local polytechnic school students, and other at-risk groups.
The health education department also uses a general health curriculum. The nurse, head CHW, and one primary school teacher give health talks and show videos on a range of subjects including alcoholism, domestic violence, malaria prevention, and handling health stigmas to different community groups once a week. We also offer these health classes and HIV/AIDS education to our Adult Education class on a weekly basis.