When it comes to building a healthy community, the importance of health education cannot be overlooked. OHED community health workers collaborate with all stakeholders in a community – from its citizens to its government, education and medical officials – to improve health and wellness and ensure equal access to healthcare.
Community health education looks at the health of a community as a whole, seeking to identify health issues and trends within a population and work with stakeholders to find solutions to these concerns. At OHED, the importance of health education impacts many areas of charity within a community, including (among many others):
▪ Chronic disease awareness and prevention
▪ Injury and violence prevention
▪ Maternal and infant health
▪ Mental and behavioral health
▪ Nutrition, exercise and obesity prevention
▪ Tobacco use and substance abuse
Community health educators work with OHED health representatives, schools, government offices and even other local nonprofit organizations to design educational programs and other resources to address community specific needs. As public health professionals, with aid of community leaders, OHED members strive to ensure community wellness as they pertain to health education.
Implementation period of Health Programs: February 2020-December 2022
OHED members are organizing various local community trainings on malnutrition and HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases in Kagembe-Malingumu, Kavumu, Lubangwe, Etumba, Kilembwe, Baraka, Lulimba, Shabunda, Muresa and Fizi centers.
Similar capacity building activities are carried out amongst teachers and students in the Primary and Secondary Schools partnering with OHED across operational zones in the DR Congo.
The OHED programs mainly aim at reducing the rate of deaths due to HIV/AIDS, TB, COVID-19, and other infectious diseases in the existing households as well as promoting health and improving the wellbeing of the entire local communities in the target areas.
In total, 28,000 people including both children and adults are getting trained and are increasing their knowledge on infectious diseases and other health problems in different zones.