Orphanage Health Day

Name of the activity: Orphanage Health Day

Country/NMO: Lebanon (LeMSIC)

Program: Healthy Lifestyles & Non-Communicable Diseases

Contact information: [email protected]

Type of the activity: Education. Education on health issues for specific societal groups, either in the form of projects (set of tasks for a certain group over a fixed period of time), events (something notable that happens) or conferences (form meeting about ideas related to a particular topic, usually over several days).

General description:

The Orphanage Health Day is national campaign aimed to ameliorate the lacking present among the orphans. Since orphans are a big part of our society, they deserve a proper health care and education platform. This activity aims to provide at least 700 orphans with the general knowledge related to healthy lifestyle habits to children from 4-18 years of age through awareness sessions and to provide at least 700 orphans with 1 cycle of full physical checkups including screenings. Moreover, teaching the orphans simple screening tests, their motivation towards their health will increase, thus by giving the institute a platform to provide orphans with preventive medicine, this will decrease any future costs that the orphanage has to cover for the children’s health. This event also aims to equip medical students with both medical and soft skills by teaching them how to deal with orphans, with regards to both their mental and physical health.

Focus area:

Prevention of NCDs and Health Promotion

Problem statement:

A study published by the consultation and research institute and UNICEF in 2006 showed around 23,000 children have been placed in the care of orphanages in Lebanon. This report shows that orphans aren’t attaining the proper education and health care needed for their growth. So, as future public health leaders, LeMSIC decided to endorse this cause by targeting the lacks suffered by orphans when it comes to their knowledge on healthy lifestyle habits, preventable NCDs, and life saving screenings.

Target groups:

Children, Youth

Beneficiaries:

Medical students, Doctors, Other health professionals, Children, Youth

Objectives and indicators of success:

The objectives are:

-Teach at least 700 orphans how to properly form their diet, on the dangers of smoking, and the importance of hygiene.

– Introduce all volunteers to topics such as: the health system and education of orphans in Lebanon, soft skills on dealing with orphans, their mental health, motivation, and dreams through at least 3 training sessions delivered by IFMSA trainers by the end of February.

– Enable at least 100 medical students to enhance their medical skills (screening methods, history taking, and physical examination) through at least 2 training sessions by the end of February.

– Hold sessions dealing with mood and eating disorders for at least 700 orphans providing with at least 2 simple techniques to alleviate stress and anxiety.

– Teach at least 700 orphans at least 2 basic screening methods through showcasing the preexsisting material at the institute’s clinic.

The indicators of success are:

-At least 700 orphans will be exposed to all the awareness topics undergo a physical examination.

– Have at least 80 volunteers.

– A checklist to insure that at least 700 orphans have learned every screening test offered.

– Budget: less than 500$ from LeMSIC’s treasury

Methodology:

1.The event starts by forming an OCwith 32 volunteers. The OC is divided to logistics, equipments, awareness, media, finances, sponsorship teams, and a training coordinator.

2. By the first week of February, a call will be sent for volunteers.

3. Throughout the month of February, the training coordinator with the help of the VPCB, NPO, the IFMSA-Certified trainers (Selected by a call sent out by LeMSIC’s VPCB), and volunteering pediatricians will be able to increase their capacity building of the volunteers.

4.As for the content of the event, it will split into two main branches: one for the relevant awareness themes to be presented and the other founded on screening for risk factors of NCDs.

5.A thorough meeting by the end of January will occur with the head of the institutions to dissect the needs and deficiencies in need to be filled by such an event.

6.The OC will prepare all the material needed for all the sessions.

7.In March, the OC will be preparing the institute

Plans for evaluation:

1. Pre-Evaluation

– A prepared questionnaire in the form of MCQs covering all the subjects will be distributed to each group to be filled before initiating the awareness.

2. Post-Evaluation

– By revisiting the orphanage in one month to recollect at least 500 questionnaires again and measure any difference that could have shaped the striking minds of those astonishing orphans.

– Forms will be sent to the institute’s coordinators to have an evaluation of the campaign.

– After one month, a form will also be sent to the coordinators in order to report any improvement in the children’s behavior.

– Feedback will be taken one week after the monthly awareness campaign ends from 100 randomized orphans as well as the coordinators of the institute.

– All the screening test evaluation will be taken live.

3. LeMSIC’s Internal Evaluation

Feedback will be taken after the trainings.

A feedback form will be sent at the end the campaign to the volunteers.