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 Care—weaning | 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. | Sanitation—Improved 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