Wash Your Teeth and Brush Your Hands

To go along with the sink we built at Thaidanu school twoweeks ago, Andrea and I wanted to do a hand washing and tooth brushing campaignfor all the students there. We had noticed that while most schools with sinksset aside time for hand washing and tooth brushing, most students weren’t verythorough about it and didn’t have knowledge of the proper technique. We askedour country director to talk to the headmaster about putting on an assembly andsome activities to help the students learn and practice these skills and committo doing them.  He seemed excited aboutit, so we decided on doing it a week later! We were assigned to be the projectleads, and immediately got into planning. This is the first major public health project we’ve done this year, so alot of our group members were excited about it. After a few brainstorming and planning sessions, a few cheap supplies,and a good amount of paper-cutting, we were ready for the assembly!

The day the assembly was to happen we woke up to rain.  Not to be deterred, we all piled in the backof a truck, huddled under our ponchos, and headed out to the school.  When we arrived the students were alreadythere waiting with toothbrushes in hand. 

We started with a skit showing the importance of goodhygiene.  One team member dressed up as agerm and gave people sticky green hi-fives when they sneezed or played withother “infected” people.  Nat explainedhow germs are spread, then how we can wash our hands to prevent that whileanother team member came in with a giant bar of “soap” and washed the green gooaway.  The germ came back later to putplaque on “teeth,” which got brushed away by a giant toothbrush.  It was fun and the kids got a good laugh outof it. 

 

We started into the rotations as the rain (thankfully)stopped.  The first station was devotedto tooth brushing.  Two team membersexplained and demonstrated proper brushing technique on a large model, then thekids were given toothpaste and got to practice in their new sink.

The second station was to help the students practicehandwashing.  A volunteer had peanutbutter on her hands, then went around giving kids hi-fives, and letting themgive each other hi-fives, until everyone had some on their hands.  Then they went to the sink, and had avolunteer help them wash it off and check to make sure they were doing itright.  

After that they had a relay race filling a bucket withwater, then washing their hands with it. They really got into it!

Finally, they each made a pledge to continue using their knowledgeby correctly brushing their teeth and washing their hands.  They signed their names on cutouts of teethand of their own hands.  The school isplanning on mounting these on wooden boards, and displaying them in the schoolcafeteria. 

 

As always, the kids want to take lots of pictures with us“farangs.”

There was even time for a giant game of the “hokey-pokey.”

All in all, it was a very successful activity.  Way to go An for running a successful publichealth campaign!