Scene 4: Blessing in Disguise – Promoting Health in Langrug

Backstory:

In an attempt to promote the education of WaSH in Langrug, we have tried to connect with local crèches. With this connection our hope has been to promote the use of the WaSH facility and make it appeal especially to children. Educating people from a young age about the importance of general hygiene as well as the proper care of wounds or scrapes is something we would like to move towards with further projects in Langrug.

Cast of Characters:

Children of Langrug and ECD Team

Setting:

The sounds of children were all around us. We held hands and danced in a circle attempting to join in with the children’s singing even though we don’t know Xhosa at all. The children had large smiles on their faces and their excitement shined as we moved. Many of the children were not wearing shoes, with their feet covered in dirt. As we spun, one of the boys stubbed his barefoot. As little drops of blood began to flow from his tiny foot, Mindy picked him up and brought him over to the outdoor spigot of the WaSH facility.

Actions and Observations:

As Mindy and the boy walked over to the spigot, I went inside to get a dollop of soap from one of the dispensers. When I came back out to hand the soap off, all of the other children were gathered around watching Mindy and the boy. I asked one of the girls who was able to translate most things to Xhosa for us to tell the other children that we were washing his cut. She tried her best though I could tell she didn’t know exactly what I meant. I asked her to tell them that when they get hurt it is important to clean the blood off with soap and water then to cover it up to protect it from getting infected. As she was talking, all the children were listening and watching Mindy like little hawks. She had finished washing the boy’s foot. We could not find a band aide to use so instead we took a tissue and had the little boy hold it on his foot. The children couldn’t understand what we were saying, but they did witness exactly what we did from the moment the boy started bleeding until the moment he stopped.

Reflections:

This moment was somewhat of a blessing in disguise for our group. The fact that the boy’s small cut had happened when we were there gave us the opportunity to demonstrate to the other children of Langrug what you should do when something like that happens. The fact that we were engaged with the children at the time also gave us the advantage of already holding their attention. We were excited that they all followed and watched how we took care of the situation. The fact that we couldn’t find a band aide at the WaSH facility shows us that it might be beneficial for us and the WaSH team to keep considering the possibility of caretakers selling small items like band aides and a dollop of ointment for situations like this.