MoM is busy-busy as we are in the midst of planning for both the next ETCHE drop, as well as the second community training session! The last training session focused on health challenges surrounding water and sanitation issues, while this one will focus more on developing hands-on first aid skills. It has been our experience that many times in rural areas, minor injuries escalate unnecessarily. Lydia understands this concept from a personal level, which is why she and the other girls will be helping to demonstrate several methods involved with wound management, burn management, and fracture/sprain stabilization. We are currently working to address the need for first aid materials to be used in the communities themselves, as we identify what is locally available to them. For example, a small clean plastic bottle with a hole punched in the top could be used to irrigate wounds and local seamstresses can easily sew triangle clothes for swathes/slings.
Send us your ideas for sustainable items!
The poked hole in the water bottle is one of my favorite methods of wound cleaning! It works really well, is cheap, and you can find the bottles anywhere. Just need to make sure that the water you use is at least potable.
ReplyDeleteAnother thought: some flowering plants (like manzanita blossoms in California) have a natural sudsing agent in them for hand washing. There might be something similar in Ghana as well.