Courses

Participatory Activities

Participatory Activities

Women act out drama on main health and hygiene issues to enable everyone to learn whether they can read or not.
Women act out drama on main health and hygiene issues to enable everyone to learn whether they can read or not.

Role Play and Drama are very effective means of stimulating discussion and are immensely popular. Health Club members participate in role play scenarios about diagnosing a variety of common illnesses and develop dramas about various topics like HIV/AIDS and water, sanitation and hygiene.

Maps of the village are drawn on paper on even on the ground to enable all members to understand the local issues, particularly health risks in their village
Maps of the village are drawn on paper on even on the ground to enable all members to understand the local issues, particularly health risks in their village

Mapping is another very useful activity, which enables health clubs to demonstrate their assets and present visitors with visual information about their area: typically this includes information about the sanitation coverage and water facilities.

Cards show the transmission route of a disease, which is then blocked by other cards showing how to prevent transmission.
Cards show the transmission route of diarrhoea by flies.
blocking the route malaria
LIne up of cards showing the transmission of Malaria

Blocking the Route is a very effective way to explain the transmission of disease. The faecal-oral transmission of diarrhoea is being discussed and cards show the five main routes by which diarrhoea is spread: fruit, fingers, flies, faeces and food. Each person says what is in their own card. Then other pictures are given out which show ways to block each  transmission route. Those who have the appropriate card are asked to come up and explain how their picture can  block the spread of diarrhoea and then to stand behind the picture they block. The interventions are then discussed at length and consensus is reached on how they will be able to take steps as a community to reduce diarrhoea.

Each participants explains whether the card shows a good, medium or bad practice
Each participants explains whether the card shows a good, medium or bad practice

Three Pile Sorting is an easy game to play if there is a well prepared selection of illustrated cards showing good, bad and medium hygiene practices found in a particular community. The cards are handed out and each person comes up and explains what they have on their card. The audience then discuss whether the card should join the good or bad pile. If they cannot decide the card may be assigned to the medium pile. This exercise promotes lots of discussion and often strong debate as people sort out in their own minds and as a group decide which hygiene practices are really safe. At the end the good practices are ranked and the audience is asked to undertake at least one of the good hygiene ways before the following meeting a week later. This activity builds group consensus enabling  ‘common unity’

Health songs are created in every Health club to emphasis key messages on hygiene
Health songs are created in every Health club to emphasis key messages on hygiene

Song and Slogans: Each health club develops its own songs and slogans to rally the crowd and focus attention on key issues. Making up songs comes so naturally and the pleasure fo singing and dancing together is one of the key activities that harmonise people and bring a sense of common unity.

A stand for a hoe, outside a home shows that the household uses 'cat sanitation' the burial of faeces in a hole when defecating in the 'bush'
A stand for a hoe, outside a home shows that the household uses ‘cat sanitation’ the burial of faeces in a hole when defecating in the ‘bush’

Sanitation Ladder: Each picture has a different level of sanitation from open defecation (dog sanitation), to covering faeces by digging a hole (cat sanitation), to a basic traditional  pit latrine, to a covered /lined pit, then a well constructed permanent pit, a Ventilated and lined pit with a slab, and roof, to a pour flush latrine and eventually to a flushing toilet attached to soak away, and then to sewer system, with some pictures showing a hand washing facility as well. The group is asked to describe each picture, select the ones that are known in the area, and then rank them according to good hygiene. They arrange people each holding a picture from best to worst. Then each person stands behind the picture that shows their own method of sanitation. Then the people are asked to stand behind the model that they would like to have/or could make for themselves. Discussion then focus on how to achieve these improvements.