<
https://www.unicef.org/stories/little-changemakers-boost-vaccination-efforts-yemen>
"“At first, I was scared of injections,” Leen says as she remembers how she
used to feel when it came time to get vaccinated. “But I saw what happened to
children who weren’t vaccinated. They got a fever and a red rash because they
had measles.”
Leen is just 10 years-old, but she has already seen the life-saving potential
of routine immunization. Carrying a booklet detailing the benefits of vaccines
– and armed with a lot of enthusiasm – she uses her spare time to go
door-to-door in her neighbourhood in Aden, in southern Yemen, encouraging other
people to get vaccinated.
“I realized how crucial vaccination is, so I wanted to help [my neighbours],”
she says.
Leen signed up with UNICEF’s ‘Sponsor a Child’ initiative three months ago,
joining more than 1,000 children and adolescents aged 10 to 17 who have helped
reach more than 33,000 children in southern Yemen with routine vaccinations
over the past two years.
Children enrolling with the programme receive training that empowers them to
talk with caregivers about vaccinations and how best to share accurate
information about dosages. They’re accompanied on their visits by adult
community mobilizers – typically health workers or community midwives – who
provide additional support and guidance as the volunteers speak directly with
members of the community.
Leen recalls a visit with Somaia, whose three young children hadn’t received
any vaccines. Leen was joined at Somaia’s apartment by an adult community
mobilizer, and between them they reminded the mother about the importance of
vaccinations and also provided her with a vaccine schedule.
“To persuade her, I said ‘Look how healthy and strong I am! I can go to school,
and that’s because I’ve received all the necessary vaccines,’” Leen recalls.
Somaia says the visit definitely made a difference for her family.
“I didn’t get my kids vaccinated before,” Somaia says. “But Leen visited us and
explained that if my children had been vaccinated, their measles symptoms might
have not been that severe. I was motivated to go to the health facility and get
them vaccinated,” she says, adding that she also decided to get the tetanus
vaccine for herself."
Via
Future Crunch:
<
https://futurecrunch.com/good-news-cancer-canada-elephants-africa-batteries-china/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
