We work in some of the most remote parts of India and Bangladesh, where many communities are completely isolated and lack basic health information and support.
Health information is vital to these communities where health facilities are sparse. In the UK, research suggest most people have a health facility within 1.2-mile radius, but in the state of Bihar in northern India people must travel an average of 62 miles.
Our health education vans take the health messages to the people. Out on the road for weeks at a time, they visit villages to educate people about maintaining good health and teaching them about the symptoms of leprosy and lymphatic filariasis which prevail in poor communities.
A driver and a member of our staff take to the roads with several different types of health education activities.
In India and Bangladesh, we visit schools to teach children the signs of leprosy so that they may be able to recognise symptoms not only on themselves, but also on their families.
We screen any children with suspected symptoms and train teachers so they are able to send children for treatment.
Leprosy has a profound prejudice attached to it. During schools visits we’ll drive out myths about leprosy through talks, films and health information leaflets. We encourage children to be more accepting of their classmates who are affected by leprosy.
Last year we reached 155,000 children in India, Bangladesh and Mozambique through school’s health education. It costs just £25 to conduct a school programme reaching 100 children.
