The Fight of Health Promoter
In Leogane where JEN perform some acitities, both people and livestock wash their bodies at rivers. People also use the water of river for washing their clothes and drinking. Most of them are thinking that water which is spring out again after empting the water in the hole near by the river is clean and safe because it is clear.
Cholera has spread in Leogane which has gotten big damage due to earthquake, and most of the people in there suffer from double damage. JEN can perform health educational activities at the region where an outbreak of cholera has happened like Leogane or Grand Goave because of supporter of JEN and corporation of Japan platform.
So far, 459 people of health promoter took training from JEN. They join this activity as unpaid volunteers so they have strong will that they want to change an unhygienic habit of more than 50 thousand local people. JEN’s staff saw health promoter’s steady effort with their own eyes when they visit houses of local people.
At first, some people doubt promoter but most of the messages about hygiene were accepted now. Local people misunderstand that promoter perform this activity to get economic reward, not to follow their strong will. In the country where people can not get job easily, the idea of “volunteer” is not easy to understand but promoter explain carefully and find the people who can work together with JEN without payment.
Today, importance of hygienic countermeasure is widely understood because of practical damage of growing cholera. As involving this, local people started to evaluate health promoters. Most of the people visit health promoter of JEN to learn the way of prevention and information about cholera. They are considered as philosopher of that region.
In the meeting which JEN’s staff and health promoter perform, they always tell the people some important message about hygiene. Besides, the messages which was sent over and over in each region by health promoter were sent again as different form like poem, play, and pamphlet.