Working with drug abuse.
Your issue on drugs (No 23) arrived here at just the right time, as I was preparing teaching on the effects of drug-taking for my brothers living on the island of Fotoba. This is an island about 15km from the capital of Guinea with about 4,000 inhabitants. The use of drugs and alcohol is becoming commonplace among the young people there and many problems are resulting.
Guinea is a Christian country. No drugs are grown here, but they are imported through the borders. The Anglican church is putting much effort into teaching about the effects of drugs. After reading Issue 23 we suggest readers should:
- bring out the consequences of drug taking – using addicts before they are rehabilitated to show how serious the results are
- ask their governments to ban cigarette advertising
- ask their press to denounce drug takers and pushers
- ask churches to preach on the consequences of taking drugs.
I was also very interested to learn about using puppets in this issue. Earlier this year I prepared a drama sketch about young people taking drugs and a girl finding herself pregnant afterwards, abandoned by her boyfriend who now lives with his guilt. Before these were model students. However you wouldn’t believe the reaction of the villagers when we acted this. Unfortunately I had used our own names in the sketch. They began to insult and mock us, saying, ‘You drug addicts – you aren’t even ashamed!’ Some even began a fight. You see how difficult it is to put over a message in our country!
I am now considering improving this sketch and maybe using puppets. I would really like some advice from readers on using puppets in this way. Are there any training workshops on the use of puppets?
Dr Sauyers William, Médecin-chef du Dispensaire Toussaint, BP 1187, Conakry, Guinea Republic.
Clean water first
I have just returned from Ethiopia where several nurses and midwives drew your paper to my attention. They were all disturbed to read the ‘News’ item on page 14 of Footsteps 24. This described new developments in a vaccine (which prevents implantation in the uterus) as very encouraging. This vaccine does not prevent, it disturbs an early pregnancy by preventing implantation. Any form of abortion is unacceptable to the Ethiopian culture.
People in the rural area of Ethiopia where these nurses work have, as their number one priority, a clean supply of water – not family spacing.
John Kelly, Birmingham Women’s Health Care, Birmingham, B15 2TG, UK.
Fighting addiction
Congratulations and thanks for the wonderful and inspired teaching articles on drug abuse and smoking in Footsteps 23. Thirteen years have now passed since I changed from drug addiction and smoking – a deadly way of life – but memories still remain. Your articles helped me reflect on my past life style and the misery I encountered as an addict to opium, alcohol, nicotine and some unknown drugs.
I am strongly challenged, both by my previous life style of addiction and my present devoted Christian life, to urge the people of God to fight and combat drug, alcohol and tobacco abuse. Today many are living a hopeless life, without the resources to change by themselves. No longer an addict, I am now fully trained as a Minister of religion and the founder of ALMS – a ministry to the poor and needy in Lusaka.
Pastor Godfrey C J Mulenga, PO Box RW 50894, Lusaka, Zambia.
Appreciative readers
Your magazine interests everyone who comes across it. My wife has already put to good use the item on soya bean recipes. She used it to make soya coffee which I find very delicious. She is intending in the next few days to build the kitchen cupboard shown in Issue 21!
Ngadande Job Boukar, Moundou, Chad.
Nutritious leaves
Moringa Oleifera, the spinach tree, is used by many Tonga people in Gwembe Valley, South Zambia. The leaves are used as a relish, and during the long dry season from April to November the demand is so great that many trees are stripped entirely of their branches. However, the foliage grows back again when the rains come.
The nutritional value of moringa and other local leafy vegetables, when compared to cabbage, shows the huge advantage which many local plants have in terms of basic food value.
Bob D Mann, MRDF – Methodist Church, 1 Central Buildings, London, SW1H 9NH, UK.
Songs for teaching health
Music has been used in many ways for teaching. Sometimes Western song tunes have been adapted. Most Africans have natural talent in creating antiphonal-type songs – responsive chanting and singing. Most health educators will find it easy to adapt and use simple tunes known to the local people.
Songs are easy to remember and villagers used to storytelling can often memorise many verses of songs. Songs that tell a story are easier to remember in order. Important messages can be repeated (in a chorus) or emphasised (by shouting!) Always use familiar words – not the medical term. Encourage people to add local instruments. You can also use music with stories, drama, puppets, mime, demonstrations and many other teaching methods. If you want to tape record the music, there are ways of creating special effects for sound and actions – using for example; gongs, cymbals, castanets, rattles and gourds or coconut shells.
Sometimes health professionals can work with the media to produce quality songs with social messages. Good parenthood and sexual responsibility have been encouraged in songs sung by popular performers in Nigeria, Mexico and Peru.
A contest was held in Guinea-Bissau where both amateur and professional songwriters were encouraged to enter contests for songs teaching about AIDS.
Marilyne Gustafson, School of Nursing 6-101 Unit F, 308 Harvard Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
Drain erosion
I was interested to see the article on gully erosion in the last issue of Footsteps (No 24), as I had just returned from Nigeria where I had been examining damage to roadside drains because of erosion.
I found the drains usually far too small for the amount of water collecting along the edge of the road. They also had level crests and inadequate foundations. As a result, they suffered severe erosion at the sides and base. In some places the drains had been completely washed away. The problem was made worse by the lack of grass cover and damage from cattle allowed to wander freely.
This problem would not have begun if rain water from above the road had been channeled into local streams away from the road. If the recommendations in Footsteps about using barriers with the centre lower than the sides and building strong foundations had been followed, the erosion could still have been prevented. Agreement with the local herders about the movement of cattle would have helped.
I would also recommend that the foundation of each barrier is built below the level of the top of the next barrier downstream. In addition, creating a small plunge pool behind each barrier will help to reduce the speed of the run-off water in heavy storms.
Paul Dean, 83 Piggotts Way, Bishop’s Stortford, CM23 3QZ, UK.
Excision
I was deeply impressed by your article on excision. Excision is a riddle in other countries who cannot understand the deliberate deforming and dehumanising of humans under the authority of tradition. Faithfulness does not come out of excision, nor does loyalty. In other parts of the same continent there are millions of healthy women, enjoying their lives to the full, though demanding more freedom and equality with men. These women are still good mothers and happy wives. Let these women be the model and let’s forget about submissiveness and supersititions.
Dr Arci W Banbouk, Khan Al Wazeer, PO Box 2253, Aleppo, Syrian Arab Republic.