SCHOOL HEALTH PROGRAMME

Reports by governments and civil society groups indicate that among the causes of school dropout, absenteeism and poor performance are health related issues. Tooto Wetu works to help children and youth access high quality health education and guidance.

For adolescent girls Sexual and Reproductive Health issues are recognised as a major factor for school absenteeism and drop out. TWEP works to support girls to learn about sexual reproductive health and to manage their menstruation with a sustainable approach. We work to bring sexual and reproductive health education programmes and events to schools within the Wakiso District.

School health issues are wider and are cross cutting. This starts right from a child in a primary one cutting them selves while sharpening a pencil, getting burnt with hot porridge from the school Kitchen, getting injured while running in the school compound, having undressed wounds for weeks, daily head and stomach aches and instant fainting and varying psychosocial issues to sexual reproductive challenges for both girls and boys in schools. The majority of schools have no school health systems that manage such cases neither sick bays where to address them caring schools will give a paracetamol , or use iodine for wounds and if not send back the child home of which even parents may not be home .

The government of Uganda through joint ministries of Education and Health set up school health policy (SHP) in 2001 that among others noted that healthy learners, teachers and child-friendly environments make learning and teaching attractive and effective which then reduces health-related absenteeism, school dropouts, repetition of classes and fosters better school/academic performance.

Up to 2016 the policy had not yet fully been operational due to approval implications by the ministry of finance and parliament approval .

Tooto Wetu belives schools are second home to children and students where they spend most of their active time, so school should be facilitated to be more caring environment for those growing beings for their proper growth and development . Together with our Partners i.HUG Foundation we launched a school health programme on first aid for schools , we began with the government aided schools because it is where such conditions where overwhelming the we have so far reached 3 primary schools including Kansanga Primary School in Kansanga, Mirembe Primary school in Makindye and we are currently at Uganda Railways Primary School and so far over 2800 students have been reached and benefited from the program . Stories from teachers and student show significant impact .

We run activities including

• Setting sick bays for schools

• Training of volunteer teachers to work as the school first aid experts and sickbay administrators

• General teacher training on first aid management .

• Community engagement that involves parents training and awareness on first aid and health care for children at school and home .

• Health peer mentoring for children.

  With your support together we can make school a better place for children to live as schools should second home for children