HELP: Health Education - Lessons in Pictures by Jerry Barrett

BASIC HYGIENE

(Health Education - Lessons in Pictures)

Free basic health lessons for missionaries to teach in remote communities.

About Basic Hygiene
Rural and remote communities often face significant challenges to maintaining their health and wellbeing. In developing countries these challenges are further compounded by:
Limited access to clean water.
Ineffective sanitation.
Low education and literacy levels.
Widespread unawareness that simple personal hygiene practices can reduce the risk of transmitting communicable infectious diseases.
Existing health education materials distributed within such communities are often presented in a traditional written format, making them inaccessible to people with low literacy levels. This Basic Hygiene Module communicates key messages about bacteria and good hygiene through the aid of visual storyboards, (as seen below). These storyboards show the importance of good personal hygiene and breaking the ‘chain of infection’ caused by germs.

The Basic Hygiene module introduces the viewer to the 'Germ' family group and their dangers.

And illustrates how to eliminate the danger through pictures and symbols.

CLICK HERE to download the free Basic Hygiene module: a six page PDF file approximately 1.5 MB. Including Cover & Teaching Aid.
Excellent to print out for a hard copy or simply use in an electronic presentation. TO DOWNLOAD HYGIENE MODULE - CLICK HERE.

HELP - Basic Hygiene - Teaching Aid

Introducing Hygiene (Cover & Page 1)
Hygiene is the practice of keeping ourselves and the things around us clean, in order to prevent illness and disease. It is so important to practice good hygiene to stop nasty bugs, too small for our eyes to see, entering our bodies causing horrible illness – even leading to death.

Introducing the Bugs (Page 1 & 2)

Flu Germ The Phlegm Bug: is commonly found in the nose and throat, the bug escapes by coughing and sneezing on people. They can enter the body through your mouth or wounds on the skin. It is important to not cough or sneeze over people and to wash your hands with soap and water as often as possible.

The Blood Bugs: escape from the body in blood, they are very bad and can kill you if they invade your body. Good hand washing technique with soap and water can reduce the spread of this bug.

The Water Bug: is found in untreated water, it invades the body by eating or drinking of dirty food or water. All drinking water should be treated to kill this bug; hands should be washed before collecting water, preparing food or eating.

The Poo Bug: lives in the stomach of humans and livestock and escapes in poo. It is often found on your hands after going to the toilet or touching animals and can make you very sick if it gets into your mouth. Washing your hands with soap and water will kill the poo bug, so remember to wash your hands every time you go to the toilet or touch an animal.

Mud Bug: This bug is a combination of the Poo bug and the Phlegm bug and is commonly found in all types of soil. If this bug gets into your mouth or a wound it can make you very sick or make the wound infected. Washing your hands with soap and water will kill this bug and prevent this.

Washing Hands (Page 3)
When we wash our hands we must pay particular attention to underneath the fingernails and between our fingers. This is where germs live the most and often avoid contact with soap when we wash our hands. We must make sure that the soap cleans between our fingers and underneath our finger nails to kill the germs.

Practicing Hygiene (Page 4)
Normal soap and water will kill most bugs and break the ‘chain of infection’ so it is important that you wash your hands with soap and water whenever you touch anything dirty, this will kill it before it kills you! Make sure you rub the soap on your hands until it bubbles and covers all of your hands and fingers, make sure pay attention to under the nails and between the fingers.

Concluding Hygiene (Page 5)
So remember to wash your hands before: you prepare food, eat food, administer first aid or put your hands near your mouth.
And after: you touch any animals, go to the toilet, cough or sneeze into your hands and whenever your hands look or feel dirty.
Good personal hygiene will not only keep you and your family healthy but it can save your life and the life of your loved ones by breaking the ‘chain of infection’ caused by those nasty, tiny bugs.

A Couple of Suggestions
- When you print out the module, you can glue them together on card to make a fold out poster (as seen on the right). Glue the teaching aid behind so you can read while holding the poster for the class to view.
- As well as taking in Bibles on your mission trip, maybe you could also take mini cakes of soap to leave behind.

Download and Print Colouring-In Pages. Reinforce the Hygiene Lesson with a colouring-in activity.
Click on picture to download – approx. 200 KB each. Titles: Bad Germs / When to Wash Hands / Washing Hands Kills Germs

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Your Mission Trip & HELP

HELP is currently being tested in remote communities. If you have used a HELP module, Jerry would love to get your feedback. Your experience will help us improve HELP. For further queries please contact Jerry Barrett. jeremy.barrett@postgrad.curtin.edu.au

If you are going on a missionary journey to a remote community, it is worthwhile visiting Jerry’s website: Extreme Medical. Check out the Pilgrim's Page. You will find excellent advice plus a range of useful products for your missionary journey like mosquito nets to prevent malaria and a range of practical first aid kits. Maybe you could leave them with the locals when you have finished your trip.

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