Health promotion in fragile context : the case of Egypt

Abstract

The Global Health Department at Medilink International implemented two projects to provide awareness in Port Said, Egypt, under the titles “Communicable Diseases Awareness Campaign” and “Burns Awareness Campaign”. The first Project aimed to raise awareness amongst children of grade 1 to grade 6 in 50 schools. Several health promotion topics were tackled to limit the spread of these diseases inside the schools and in the students’ houses. Topic 4 awareness toolkit on Food Hygiene was developed by the intern and was approved to be rolled out in schools by the Ministry of Health and Population in Egypt in the coming academic year. Analysis of the pre and post assessments of students’ level of knowledge was done for the previous topics and was reported to the Ministry. Students demonstrated increased knowledge on the topics they were educated about, which signifies the importance of health promotion in schools. The second campaign on burn awareness aimed to increase the awareness of the population on burn prevention. The target population were the Primary Health Care Centers (PHCCs) staff, women, and children. A comprehensive literature review was done to create a reference package to be offered during the campaign; to create the information, education, and communication material for community rollout; and to initiate an e-learning course to be delivered to PHCC staff for guidance on proper burn management. Recommendations to ensure the sustainability of the awareness gained include assessing the retention of information provided during Health Promotion campaigns and not only comprehension. Moreover, integrating an advocacy aspect in Medilink International’s activities can aid in sustaining the progress made and helping enforce laws that aid in equitably promoting the health of disadvantaged populations.