News from the Bench Maji zone

NALA conducted a training for teachers directed towards educating children on how to avoid contracting neglected tropical diseases such as trachoma, schistosomiasis and soil transmitted helminthes. The two day seminar was held in Bero, in the Bench Maji zone, with over 100 participants from 18 schools. Yirga Gebregziabher, NALA’s strategic advisor led the workshop – engaging the crowd with tools that incorporated games and songs, along with visual aid materials to use in the classrooms. The training focused on healthy behaviors such as hand washing, and improving the sanitation conditions at schools. The teachers and health club workers are now cascading the message as they teach the other teachers and students in their schools. NALA's zonal coordinator Hailu Debebe and the WASH coordinator Asrat Meleko will continue to support the schools’ health education programs and oversee infrastructure improvements.