Hygiene education materials

Q: We are looking for a curriculum or video teaching tool that we can use to help the workers and children of an orphanage in Monrovia to develop some hygienic practices with the limited resources they have available. Are you able to provide us with information about such teaching materials?

Answer:
(by Bettie Westerhof, IRC). Please refer to the IRC website's frequently asked questions (FAQ) section:
Which hygiene practices can be targeted? and
How do I prioritize which practice(s) to target in hygiene programmes?
Both provide links to useful manuals.
More FAQs on health promotion can be found at http://www.irc.nl/page/7696

Video & Publications

A very good, though old (1986), video film is Prescription for health, an instructional film showing the path of diseases such as typhoid, cholera and dysentery, and the importance of hygiene. (see also http://www.irc.nl/docsearch/title/109481 ). It can be ordered from Precision Transfer Technologies Inc., 22 Hamilton Avenue North, Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1Y 1B6, Tel: (613) 729-8987, Fax: (613) 729-5517, E-Mail: salesott@precisiontransfer.com. The cost of each video is $19.95 CAD for NTSC copies in North America. Shipping and handling are included. Payment can be made by Visa, MasterCard or certified cheque. Specify the VHS tape format required e.g. NTSC, PAL or Secam.

The joy of learning. Participatory lesson plans on hygiene, sanitation, water, health and the environment. This guide is meant for teachers and others who want to design participatory learning activities on hygiene and sanitation. It is divided into two parts: theory and lesson plans. The lesson plans are organised into three sections: hygiene (including personal and food hygiene), sanitation and water. Download from http://www.irc.nl/page/26444

Smart Sanitation Solutions, contains examples of low-cost technologies for toilets, collection, transportation, treatment and use of sanitation products. Download from http://www.irc.nl/page/28448

Smart water solutions gives examples of small-scale innovative technologies to increase access to safe drinking water. Download from http://www.irc.nl/page/28654

Thematic Overview Paper on hygiene promotion. Written by Brian Appleton and Christine van Wijk. Download from http://www.irc.nl/page/27611

Other sources of information are:

The Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing, a global initiative to promote handwashing with soap to reduce diarrhoea, a major cause of child mortality http://www.globalhandwashing.org/

The Safe Water Systems site of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention http://www.cdc.gov/safewater/

Healthlink Worldwide (UK) http://www.healthlink.org.uk/