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Fiji Achievement Report August 2014 Education Enrichment: Health and Safety

FIRST AID TRAINING FOR WOMEN, CHILDREN, AND TEACHERS

Objective: To train teachers, students, and community members in emergency first response and secondary care skills. GVI is dedicated to improving health first aid provision in Fijis remote schools and communities. By providing Emergency First Response training to teachers and community members on our project sites, GVI project teams aim to improve emergency response capacity and create a safer environment for children and community members.

Summary: For the remote communities in the Yasawa Islands or the rural coastal villages of Dawasamu, professional medical care is not easily accessible. There is one doctor and nurse responsible for the 4 villages and 2 schools on Nacula Island and in Dawasamu up to 5 villages rely on the basic facilities of one small nursing station. By addressing the issue of first aid provision in local schools and

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communities, this initiative has not only improved awareness and emergency response skills but has also opened up a forum for discussing emergencies and contingency plans for schools and communities in these remote areas. In response to an observed overall lack of first aid awareness this training has been designed to be easily accessible and focuses on key first aid, CPR and safety related skill development. First Aid workshop at Ratu Meli Memorial School

6 Teachers trained 25 students trained Program delivered by 4 GVI volunteers and 2 GVI staff

The Yasawa islands are remote and transport options to the facilities of the mainland can be complex, in some cases emergency situations require costly helicopter or seaplane evacuations to the nearest hospital. For the communities the island chain, the sea is an integral part of their way of life and as such, accidents at sea are a very real danger. CPR can improve the chances of resuscitating non-breathing victims of water related incidents. Pursuant to this, GVI approached Ratu Meli Memorial School (RMMS) teachers with a program of basic emergency first responder (EFR) training. With the assistance from marine research and conservation volunteers, GVI staff began the training with a class for years 7 and 8. The students were taught about accident scene assessment, breathing check, CPR and serious bleeding treatment. The children were attentive, receptive and enjoyed the interactive learning process. Each child had the chance to practise CPR on the dummy and took turns bandaging their friends. The children were then given a lesson on sea safety. This included information on buddy systems, currents, the importance of telling someone where you are going, and a lesson on how to make a surface marker buoy out of recycled materials. This was in response to many spear-fishers being spotted without maker buoys in areas of high boat traffic. A first aid training program for the school teachers then arranged for after school hours. Teachers in Fiji are not required to have any first aid training and as such, only one teacher at Ratu Meli Memorial School had prior knowledge of CPR. The training provided by GVI taught scene assessments, breathing check, CPR, drowning response, spinal injury response,

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and serious bleeding and choking response skills. The different approaches to the treatment of adults and children was highlighted in each session. It was emphasised that it is particularly important for teachers to be aware of multiple ways to treat choking as this hazard is more common for children than for adults. The teachers were then given a certificate acknowledging their completion of the first aid class and contributing to professional development. The children were also awarded a certificate which will be added to their secondary school applications. Community First Aid in Navotua Village

10 women trained

Like many remote villages in the Yasawas, Navotua located on the northern coast of Nacula Island does not have an easily accessible health centre. In tropical climates, even small wounds can become badly infected and pose a serious risk if left untreated. Unfortunately, it is common for simple ailments to be addressed only once they become serious. The aim of the first aid sessions, therefore, was to provide basic information which would help to mitigate such issues. The community volunteers based in Navotua decided the best way to disseminate first aid information was through the well-established womens group due to the fact that women are traditionally the main care providers for the family structure. All information was delivered in practical workshop style sessions which allowed the participants to practice simple first aid techniques and ask questions. Topics covered included; emergency first aid, rehydration solutions, bleeding, heat stroke, breaks and sprains and infection prevention and treatment. These topics were selected because they require immediate attention which can be carried out within the village before seeking professional medical attention. Informative posters were made by GVI volunteers prior to the practical workshop; these were used as part of the presentation and then hung in the community hall for future reference.

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These practical sessions were completed in conjunction with hygiene awareness and the construction of hand washing stations within the village. Practical workshops were delivered on how to build these simple structures which involved a variety of people from the youth group and womens organisation. It is important that hygiene issues are addressed alongside basic first aid because keeping wounds clean is fundamental to infection prevention. Furthermore, the likelihood of contracting common health issues such as scabies can be decreased by following best hygiene practices.

First Aid Training for Dawasamu Primary and Secondary School Teachers Since the inception of the Dawasamu projects in 2013, GVI staff have often been involved with supporting and delivering care for various injuries and illnesses within the local community and especially for the children at the local schools. This has often meant that teachers have become reliant on GVI to address first aid issues and provide advice or offer solutions to the teachers. It became clear from these interactions that training teachers in the fundamentals of primary and secondary care and first aid would be of tremendous value. GVI program leaders decided to certify two teachers as Emergency First Responders, one at the local primary school and one at the local secondary school. This internationally recognized course trains participants in primary care (CPR) as well as non-life threatening first aid issues. With this new knowledge, these teachers can now serve as the designated first aid providers at their respective schools. Over a period of two weeks, GVI led evening sessions from Babale Base to teach the new skills required to gain the certification. These sessions had clear value to the teachers, who had lots of additional questions and comments on the issue of health provision and provided useful information on the obstacles to improving health amongst the students.

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After the initial skill training, GVI volunteers were brought in to help with creating authentic scenarios for the teachers to practice their skills. A short test and some paperwork followed by which time the two teachers were well on their way to certification. At the first school committee meeting after the training, GVI was thanked for this important contribution to school safety. The training had a noticeable impact on the teachers who set about discussing solutions to the management of daily first aid issues. A proposal to keep a reserve of petty cash to pay for emergency transport was agreed to as was the decision to contact the Ministry of Health to request the provision of basic first aid response equipment. It was clear that the training had encouraged the teachers to take ownership of the problem and devise their own solutions. Moving forward, GVI will look to continue working on the issue of health, particularly in schools, and ensure that teachers have the skills and materials necessary to assist their students and to ensure that students education is delivered in a safe and healthy environment. GVI Fiji

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