Overall targets
To improve oral and general health among school children in Gasabo District, Gicumbi District and Nyamagabe District and to increased duty-bearer´s responsability for sustainable school-based oral health initiatives by the beginning of 2018.
Immediate targets
1. By the beginning of 2018 school children from 13 schools in Gasabo District, Gicumbi District and Nyamagabe Distric have improved their general and oral health by following the BPOC project on daily basis. 2. By the beginning of 2018, parents, PTC, teachers, principals, and local health personnels’ knowledge on oral health promotion and implementation of the BPOC project have been strengthened. 3. By 2018, the Oral Health Promotion Committee is actively participating and influencing school-based oral health interventions in Rwanda.
Target groups
Elementary school children The primary target group is elementary school children from grade one to six from the 13 selected intervention schools. The children at these schools come from poor families. The gender balance is corresponding to that of the general population. TUG is confident that the selection of the schools has not been influenced by any preference of race, ethnicity or religion. The 13 intervention schools have been carefully selected by the department of education in each district in cooperation with the SOS RW and TUG. The Department of Education has been involved to ensure ownership within the existing system. Schools have been selected based on a number of criteria: • Students must belong to the poorest families • Schools must be disadvantaged compared to other schools in the area (e.g. remote location) • Number of girls and boys must be equal. • Test results in grade 6 must be among the lowest compared to other schools in the area. • School attendance must be among the lowest compared to other schools in the area. A total of 13,495 students from the 13 schools will be included. Teachers and principles The 274 teachers and 13 principals of the intervention schools will gain knowledge on how to educate and promote oral health. Parents Corresponding to the number of children, up to 35,000 parents will gain knowledge on general and oral health. Health care workers Community health workers, dental students and nurses are also central to the project as they will be trained and serve as peer educators. Their capacity will be built to identify oral health issues and local advocacy. Advocacy group: ‘Oral Health Promotion Committee’: The project will mainly work with one advocacy group established through this project to promote preventive oral health. This group will consist of representatives from the following organisations/institutions: • SOS RW • District officers from Health and education • FDI • Dental school • The dental associations • TUG • Ministry of Health • Ministry of Education • District hospitals • Teachers association • PTC The comitee will have national coverage. By engaging with these stakeholders, the project will establish a strategic link between the local project experiences and the national level. Issues identified at the local level will be brought forward to the relevant national actors.
Resume
TUG og SOS RW har sammen udviklet dette projekt, som bygger på tidligere projekterfaring i Rwanda med WHO principperne om “Health Promoting Schools” og ”Basic Package of Oral Care”. Projektet, der løber over 3 år, har et samlet budget på 2.995.219 DKK og vil inkludere 13 skoler med ca. 23.000 skolebørn fordelt over tre distrikter: Gasabo, Gicumbi and Nyamagabe. Formålet er at forbedre tandsundhed og den generelle hygiejne og derved bedre børnenes livsbetingelse, så de får mere udbytte af deres skolegang. Dette opnås gennem et skolebaseret tandbørstnings- og håndvaskprogram, der vil styrke lokalsamfundets (særligt skolernes) viden om tandpleje og øge kapaciteten til selv at kunne håndtere og forebygge infektioner og tandproblemer. Samtidig vil der blive etableret en ’advocacy gruppe’, der samler relevante interessegrupper på distrikts og nationalt niveau, hvor der advokeres for skolebaserede tandsundhedsinitiativer. Kernen i projektet er således kapacitetsopbygning og fortalervirksomhed, der vil sætte fokus på at øge adgangen til tandpleje for de fattigste dele af befolkningen.