Project Philippines 2008
When: Sunday 24 August 2008 – Saturday 6 September 2008
Location: Cebu, Philippines

Project Blog: http://projectphilippines08.wordpress.com/

Project Leaders:

Andrew Plan: aplan ‘at’ stanford.edu
Lorra de la Paz: ldelapaz ‘at’ stanford.edu

Problem

Gastrointestinal parasites are a neglected health problem despite their prevalence, affecting 7 out of every 10 children in the Philippines. These parasites will often cause children to miss school, adversely affecting their education
There is a lack of effective health education aimed at worm control.

Objectives

“Worm Control and Education”

  • Create a worm control curriculum for parents and students that the National Institutes of Health can utilize in their national campaign for worm control
  • Strengthen the SEALNet Young Entrepreneurs’ Club in the University of the Philippines-Cebu High school established by last year’s SEALNet project in the Philippines

Approaches

  • Health education: We will work with a local community, directly educating children and their parents about worm control
  • We plan to educate children through a classroom-based health fair, in which team members will design a set of engaging activities to educate students about gastrointestinal worms, the importance of treatment, and recommended hygiene practices
  • Team members will also reach out to parents by conducting a health fair in a public space, as well as visiting individual residences in the community in order to spend one-on-one time with parents
  • Educational materials for dissemination: We plan to create forms of mass media such as a comic book and radio ad
  • Youth empowerment: Local high school students will be given workshops on harnessing creativity and developing leadership skills

Local Partner

We will be working with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), based in the University of the Philippines-Manila. The NIH is in charge of the national worm control campaign, implementing worm control projects across the country.

Team Member Responsibilities

  • Help create media and a curriculum of activities for worm control education
  • Create and conduct both the classroom-based and public health fairs
  • Engage local high school students by preparing empowerment workshops
  • Be involved in the creation process of the materials and curriculum before going on the ground

Skills Needed

  • Creativity and initiative
  • Ability to comfortably communicate with people of different ages
  • A willingness to dive into the project
  • And a willingness to have fun!