GENKIプログラムの食育活動について
【2017年8月の活動報告】
1. Food education activities of the GENKI program
I got the result of the blood test conducted in May, so I gave the medical certificate to the parents of the children. Since many children were anemic, we conducted dietary education activities after explaining the situation to our parents from a doctor.
- (1) Eating habits
In Japan, when we think of salads, we think of vegetables such as lettuce and tomatoes, but in Bangladesh we only have sliced cucumbers and small onions. As a result, you cannot get enough iron and you tend to get anemic. I advised you to eat a spinach-like vegetable called "Ral Shack" (Photo 2) once a week so that you can get as much iron as possible. Parents recognize that it costs money to get nutrition. However, when I shared the knowledge that nutrition can be obtained without spending too much money depending on the device, the mothers also showed a positive attitude, "I will practice it immediately!". - (2) Hand washing instruction
In Bangladesh, use your right finger dexterously without using a spoon to flatten without leaving curry on the plate. Therefore, it is very important for hygiene to wash your hands before meals. Homes and schools in slums have soap, but they don't have a habit of washing their hands before meals. By instructing them to wash their hands carefully with the soap they have at home so that they do not have diarrhea, they learn the importance of hygiene.
Photo-1: Explanation from a doctor
Photo-2: Ral Shack
2. Effect of the training course on drinking water
As mentioned in the previous report, the GENKI program holds classes on drinking water at schools. This time, I will introduce an actual example of the effect.
Many slums do not have water, so they drink unsanitary water on a regular basis. As a result, many children suffer from diarrhea, and teachers and local staff instruct them to always boil and drink water. Majad, Sabrina, and Hamida, who attend SSKS free primary school, told their families about it after taking the class and started drinking boiling water.
Soon after, the staff came to tell me that my diarrhea had healed when I visited the school. At first, parents who didn't boil because it was troublesome started to boil by continuing to tell their children that they no longer suffer from diarrhea. Children who learned about the effects of boiling began to advise their neighbors to drink boiling water.
And now, more and more households drink boiling water. When the staff actually visited the home with the children, the children's homes and 10 households in the neighborhood were drinking boiling water. I am glad that the children are sharing what they have learned in the seminar with the local residents around them and making use of it to improve their health condition. In this way, we will continue the training so that it will be effective not only for children but also for local residents.
Photo-3: Place to draw water
3. Introducing a teacher who fights the problems of children in slums
"I don't want to get married! I want to study at school!" Tania, 13 years old, appealed to the principal and the only teacher at the school, Anu. Bangladesh law states that men are 21 years old and women are 18 years old or older to marry, but in slums parents are required to marry a girl under 18 years old to a man 10 years or older for dowry. There are many. More than half of the girls are actually forced to get married under the age of 18, and nearly 20% of the girls get married under the age of 15.
The MSS NFE school that Tania attends is a small school with a total of 27 students. Last year, seven children were forced to marry as described above, but Dr. Anu stopped marrying three of them. Eliminating all child marriages is very difficult. The teacher is trying to protect the children by talking to the influential people in the area.
Photo-4: Home visit (Mr. Anu on the far left)
4. Introducing A Block Government School
Starting this month, we will introduce 39 schools covered by the GENKI program every month. The first school is A Block Government School (AGM School). Of the 39 target schools, it is one of two schools operated by the Bangladesh government.
AGM School has been distributing Euglena cookies since the start of the GENKI program in April 2014. At the beginning of the distribution, the school was run by an NGO, but it became public in 2015 with the support of the government. School operating costs will be borne by the government, and AGM school teachers (mostly volunteers) will automatically get a job as a national civil servant without taking exams. However, when it came to public schools, there was a problem that cookies could not be distributed because they could not receive external support. As a result, we negotiated many times, including submitting a petition to the Bangladeshi government to continue distributing cookies, and after many twists and turns, we were able to obtain exceptional permission. Because of this background, the principal's feelings are very strong, and he carefully nurtures the GENKI program, such as storing cookies in his room so that he can manage them well. Thanks to the efforts of these teachers, AGM School has been able to maintain the longest record of cookie distribution.
Photo-5: AGM school teachers and children li>
Photo-6: Cookies are stored in the principal's room
Thank you again this month. Thank you for your continued support.
Euglena Co., Ltd.
Overseas Business Development Department / Bangladesh Office