UNIFIL’s Ghanaian peacekeepers recently initiated cholera education classes in schools within their area of responsibility in south Lebanon. Their Civil-Military Co-operation (CIMIC) team met with students and teachers at Yarin Public Elementary School and Our Lady of Lebanon School in Rumaysh.
Students and teachers at both schools were educated on how cholera is passed from one person to another, symptoms, ways to prevent it, as well as steps to be taken should one be infected with cholera. Proper hand washing procedure was also taught and practiced with the students.
In Yarin Public Elementary School, 28 students (15 boys, 13 girls) and 2 teachers participated in the class, while 42 students (23 boys, 19 girls) and 3 teachers participated in the class at Our Lady of Lebanon School. Brochures on cholera were handed out in both English and Arabic to all participants. The brochure’s accessible design included clear visual graphics enabling the students to easily understand the educational content with very little effort.
The Ghanaian peacekeepers’ CIMIC team also donated Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) and sanitation items to the schools and continues to engage leaders of other communities to extend the cholera education to schools in their communities.
Cholera recently reappeared in Lebanon after nearly three decades. Since then, over 5,000 suspected cases, including 23 deaths, have been reported, according to the World Health Organization. A serious disease spread through water contaminated with bacteria, cholera can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and dehydration. Without treatment, even healthy people can die from it. But preventive measures like the ones taught by the Ghanaian peacekeepers can help prevent people from getting sick.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
