7/25/2019 Nepal Oct 15 Monthly Achievement

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October: Women’s Healthcare Workshops

Objectives

  Develop a range of new healthcare workshops that focus upon hygiene, nutrition, and mental and physicalhealth

  Strengthen community relationships

  Increase awareness of the women’s empowerment program in Pokhara 

Summary Throughout October, GVI Nepal led a series of healthcare workshops for the students that attend the Women’s Empowerment Project. The workshops were designed by volunteers and staff with the aim to inform and teachstudents about hygiene (oral and hand), nutrition, mental and physical health. The workshops were very successful in

terms of the progression the students made and the high turnout numbers.

Report

Over half of the population of Nepal lack basic knowledge of hygiene practice. Only 37% of people in Nepal wash theirhands with water at critical times and just 12% use soap (WaterAid, 2015). Diarrheal diseases are widespreadthroughout Nepal and hand washing alone could cut the risk ofdiarrhea by 50%. Therefore, our healthcare workshops focusedupon teaching the students why we should wash our hands, thecorrect method of doing so, and the associated benefits ofundertaking the activity.

Our workshops focused upon not only hand but oral hygiene

also. In 2006, a survey conducted amongst Nepali schoolchildren showed that only 21% seek help from a dentist whenthere is a dental emergency, with the majority relying ontraditional healers, medicine shopkeepers, or physicians. Thereare 0.01 dentists per 1,000 of the population in Nepal (WHO,2012), and with no specific oral healthcare system that entitleschildren or adults to free/subsidized dental care, GVI felt that itwas necessary that the importance of oral hygiene was taught.Students were taught about tooth decay, the correct way to brush teeth and gums, and the impact poor nutrition(particularly sugar) can have on both a child’s and adult’s dental development. Students were provided with their owntoothbrush and toothpaste at the end of the workshop.

Poverty, stigma and gender-based violence are the leading cause of mental illness in Nepal. In 1997, the government

adopted a national mental health policy, yet mental health continues to have a low priority on the national heathagenda and no official record of mental illness rates are available. The prevalence of mental disabilities is mostprevalent amongst the poor, illiterate and women (LEADS, 2010) and so therefore, GVI led a workshop on how tocope with stress and depression, which are amongst the top 10 causes of death in Nepal. Focus groups took place toshare experiences, students were taught strategies to help cope with such illnesses if they occur, and who to go to forsupport. The classes finished with a taught yoga session to help highlight the importance being both physically andmentally healthy.

The workshops produced posters at the end of every session which are currently on display in local cafes to extendGVI’s reach and spread the message amongst members of the local community.