Nelson Mandela Bay’s community-based organisations gained insight into fun ways to instil good hygienic practices where they work when Clowns Without Borders SA visited Gqeberha for a five-day workshop this week.
This came as parts of the Eastern Cape are continuously faced with a shortage of sanitation facilities.
The workshop, held at the Walmer Community Hall in Walmer Township, was attended by workers from Masibambisane, Monique Haven and Sihlambesinye Community Services, and supported by Unicef SA and World Vision SA.
The aim was to promote playful facilitation methodologies to support practitioners on the ground to test and use innovative approaches when they work with children, teenagers and adults.
Clown Without Borders SA trainer Sussie Jwarha said the NPO had been pondering on ideas to encourage and educate people on hygiene, but the need for implementation had been intensified by the Covid-19 outbreak.
“We realised that not everyone entirely understands the concept of keeping themselves and their environment clean,” Jwarha said.
“People are also faced with challenges of water shortages, so they often feel like constantly using water to wash their hands is a waste.
“We realise that people respond better when they are enjoying the way information is relayed to them. So we use games, storytelling, songs and other fun ways to teach.
“We decided to go to organisations that work with schools and encourage them to use laughter and play to promote this hygiene message.
“Instead of just putting up a poster that says ‘wash your hands’ how about we use a song or game that will remind them in a fun, memorable way.”
Clowns Without Borders SA is non-profit organisation whose primary objective is to improve the psychosocial wellbeing of children and communities affected by crises in Africa and around the world through humour and laughter, among other goals.
World Vision SA design monitoring and evaluation manager Zandile Mancotywa said the organisation received grant funding from Unicef to train community-based organisations to relay the hygiene message to prevent Covid-19 in fun ways.
“We have two sites in the Eastern Cape, one in Queenstown [Komani] and one in Gqeberha,” she said.
World Vision SA is a child-focused, Christian non-governmental organisation operating in Limpopo, KZN, Free State and the Eastern Cape under three pillars — advocacy, humanitarian affairs/relief and community development.
Sihlambesinye Community Services’ Babalwa Koli, who attended the workshop, said the training was a necessary component as they sometimes found it difficult to effectively communicate with children when they used a formal approach.
“They [children] require you to communicate in their language, which has a lot to do with play most of the time,” she said.
“The workshop has been quite helpful in opening our eyes to a more fun approach.”
HeraldLIVE
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