CHAPTER 10. Helping Others to Keep Healthy

Unit 19 Primary Health Care
P2 Term 3

Objectives: By the end of this topic pupils should be able to: 1. List activities they can do to keep healthy. 2. List ways in which they can help their brothers, sisters, parents and other people to keep healthy. 3. Describe what they do at home in their gardens. 4. List activities done together in the neighbourhood.

Behavioural Changes:

Pupils should:

· Adopt good health habits such as washing hands after visiting the toilet, general cleanliness, proper disposal of rubbish and excreta.

· Work willingly with others in cleaning their classrooms, compound and toilets.

· Develop an attitude of working together with their parents and others to improve community health.

Sub Topics:

a) Activities children can do to keep healthy.
b) Ways in which children can help others to keep healthy.
c) Activities children can do in different places.

Main Ideas:

· Working together as a family to promote health is part of primary health care. Health can be promoted by helping our parents, brothers and sisters in activities that are health promoting.

· Dirt causes ill health. Anything done to remove dirt will promote health. Sweeping the floor, washing utensils, and washing clothes promotes health.

· Planting flowers improves health by providing a clean and beautiful environment.

· We need to eat food if we are to remain healthy. Working in the garden helps to grow plenty of good food which we can eat to stay healthy.

· Food should be well prepared before it is eaten. Badly prepared food causes ill health. Only clean water should be used for drinking and cooking. All drinking water should be boiled.

· Working with our neighbours in activities that promote health is part of primary health care. More can be achieved if we worked with our neighbours to improve health.

Notes for the Teacher:

The meaning of Primary Health card and its essential elements are discussed in Volume II page 71 to which you should refer.

There are many activities that can be performed in the home to promote health. Such activities are part of primary health care.

· Sweeping the home keeps away dirt and dust. Dirt and dust cause diseases like coughing. Eating or drinking from dirty utensils can cause diarrhoea and vomiting. All utensils should be washed after use and kept clean.

Clothes should be kept clean all the time. Clothes should be washed whenever they are dirty. Dirty clothes can habour lice and also cause skin rash and itching of the body.

· Food should be well prepared before it is eaten. Poorly prepared food can cause diarrhoea and vomiting. It may also cause some other serious diseases. All fruits should be washed very well before they are eaten. Preparing food well helps to kill or remove germs that cause disease. Well prepared food is nourishing and promotes health.

· A house should be kept clean, dusted well, and all rubbish should be thrown in a rubbish pit and burnt. Germs like to stay in dust. Rubbish can attract flies, insects, rats and other animals which also carry germs that cause serious diseases.

· It is important to wash our bodies regularly if we want to keep healthy.

A dirty body may have a bad smell, lice and skin diseases like rash. A dirty body tends to itch very much so that it has to be scratched most of the time.

· Gardens where food is planted should be looked after well so that they produce plenty of good food. They need to be weeded regularly. Good food is necessary for promoting health.

· People who live near one another can work together to promote health in their area. They will do better work when working together. They can plan and organise activities to promote health in their area. They can dig rubbish pits, pick and burn rubbish, cut grass, clean wells and springs. They can help to teach the young ones and others in their area health habits. (Child-to-Child)

SOME ACTIVITIES FOR PUPILS

1. Cleaning the classroom.
2. Cleaning the school compound.
3. Burning rubbish.
4. Visit toilets to see if they are clean and covered.
5. Visit the school garden and identify foods that are commonly eaten vegetables, fruits.
6. Learn to make home made brooms.
7. Draw pictures of clean home-stead.
8. Songs and plays on promoting health.
9. Collect water for use at home/school
10. Help their sick brothers and sisters.
11. Making latrine covers.

SKILLS TO DEVELOP:

1. Following instructions.
2. Learning to make brooms.
3. Learning to observe - dirty and clean areas.

MATERIALS REQUIRED:

Pictures of clean home-stead, Clean water, Healthy children, Various Food, Worms, Banana fibre, Brooms and green sticks.

EVALUATION:

Questions on ways of helping others.
Questions on pupils body sanitation.

FOLLOW UP:

Record all the primary health care activities observed by pupils in a term.

TEST YOURSELF:

(What have you learnt from this chapter?)

1. Name at least three activities children can do to keep healthy.
2. How can children help their brothers, sisters and other people to keep healthy.
3. List the activities the children can do:

(a) at home
(b) in the garden
(c) in the neighbourhood.