What happens in a Community Health Club?

Description of the Topic

What happens in a Community Health Club?

A Community Health club meets every week at the same time and venue, over a period of at least six months.  Every week a different topic is discussed using participatory activites to stimulate interaction of all members and problem solving, using locally available resources, resulting in agreed tasks which are performed by all members each week (homework).  When all the sessions have been completed, there may be revisions sessions required so that all those who want to complete the full training have had an opportunity to attend each topic.

Model Home Competitions: Sometimes at this stage there is a model home competition. This involves monitoring all households to ensure they have achieved required standards of home hygiene. It may involve ranking the villages or CHC to ascertain which village has the met targets the best.  The village with the highest number of CHC households and highest level of hygiene may be awarded a trophy or some other honour. We try to avoid singling out individual households as this caused resentment. It is better to award a group effort to avoid jealousies.

Graduation: Those who have completed the full training  are give certificates of full attendence at a large ceremony attended by local officials and leaders. The CHC members provide entertainment show casing their knowledge with health dramas and songs, and poems they have themselves created. Then a local leader will distribute certificates with great ackccowledgement of those who receive them.  This is known as a ‘Graduation’ and is an important part of the process of inducting members into a way of life that from this time on will maintain high levels of hygiene and sanitation.  At this stage the CHC may decide to embark on other activites, there may be a water and sanitation programme to ensure all households have access to safe water and sanitation facilities, there may be a model home competition

There are four introductory sessions to mobilise community and get the CHC operational. After all members have enrolled and have their membership card, and a functional committe is in place, the weekly training sessions begin, as shown below.

No. Topic Homework Observable Indicators
i What is a CHC?
ii Registration of Members  Membership Card
iii Village Mapping  Village Banner
iv Electing a Committee
v Household Inventory
TOPICS AS PER MEMBERSHIP CARD  
1. Starting up a CHC
2. Common Diseases
3. Personal Hygiene Making a wash shelter Wash shelter in use
4 Hand Washing Make Hand Wash Facility (HWF) HWF in use with soap
5 Skin Diseases Children cured of skin disease No skin disease seen
6.a Diarrhoea—Transmission Use of soap in home Soap in HWF
6.b Diarrhoea—Dehydration Treatment by SSS / ORS Knowledge of SSS/ORS
7.a Infant Careweaning Ensure Correct weaning Well nourished baby
7.b Infant Care—Immunisation Ensure all babies are immunised ‘Road-to-Health’ card
8. Intestinal Parasites / worms De-worm all toddlers Healthy looking toddlers
9 Food Hygiene Safe food storage Drying rack/baskets
10.a Nutrition of children Good ‘Road to Health’ Growth monitoring card
10.b. Nutrition—Balanced Diet Balanced diet Variety vegetables & fruit
11.a. Food Security Kitchen gardens Kitchen gardens
11.b. Vector  Control Rat trap & rat cones Rat traps being used
11.c. Vender Hygiene  Washing/peeling of fruit Safe  fruit consumption
12. Water Sources Water source clean-up Safe treatment of water
13.a. Safe Drinking Water—storage Safe storage and usage Safe storage & usage
13.b. Safe Drinking Water—usage Individual cups & plates Individual cups used
14.a. Sanitation—ZOD Zero Open Defecation No open defecation
14.b. SanitationImproved Toilet Improved safe latrine Improved safe latrine
15. The Model Home Waste management & greening Home visits
16 Good Parenting Clean children going to school Clean children
17. Respiratory Disease Adequate ventilation Ventilated rooms
18. Malaria Use of treated bed nets Use of treated bed nets
19. Bilharzia Treatment for bilharzia No bilharzia in family
20. Menstrual Hygiene Home made sanitary towels  end of Taboos

 

Other topics may be selected which require more experienced  trainers. These materials are in production. Please contact us below  for more information

21. HIV/ AIDS
22. Teenage pregnancy
23. Substance Abuse
24. Menstrual Hygiene
25. Ebola
26. Anti-Microbial Resistance
27. Corona Virus
28. Blindness
29. Deafness
30. Physical disability
31. Mental disability
32. Obesity
33. Diabetes
34. Domestic abuse

 

For further information on what can be achieved in CHCs –  See Publications