Children for Health - working with and through culture


We have all seen it - those of us who have worked or travelled in rural Africa - the six year old with the two year old on her back. Throughout the sub- continent, and elsewhere in the developing world, children look after children. Many of us may have remarked on this, but Clare Hanbury‐ Leu, Director of Children for Health, has taken the next step.


Working with the fact of a social, cultural and economic context in which children take on the burden of child care, Clare realised that the health of millions of under-fives could be improved significantly if their carers understood health and hygiene better. And, since these carers are children, health education messages are most effectively internalised when communicated in modes that are understandable and engaging for pre-teenagers.


In 2013 Clare Hanbury founded Children for Health based on these insights. The organisation promotes health education in developing countries by working with children as communicators of health messages. Success depends on the extent to which children fully engage with, and understand the messages they are being taught. To achieve this Clare has developed an approach that builds on the principles inherent in the organisation’s founding insight – respect for the culture and daily practices of the people with whom it works. This has meant evolving a teaching methodology that builds on the informal ways in which children already learn that are natural, comfortable and enjoyable. Surprisingly rote learning is a part of this!


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Storytelling, song and dance add to the mix as this is what children enjoy. Perhaps the part that can feel new and different is that children are encouraged to open up dialogues in their families to discuss the reasons why certain things are done in certain ways. The aim is not to set children up to challenge older children and adults but to begin a family conversation. Parents report that they are moved and pleased by their childrens’ questions - e.g. about breastfeeding, using soap to wash hands or why babies are taken for immunisation and that they are influenced to choose better habits.


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“Changes in health habits can only ever work when the whole family are in it together,” says Clare, “ and the power of children to influence change, should not be underestimated!”


Children for Health promotes interactive, multi-modal approaches to communicating health messages.


One of Children for Health’s core projects is


‘The 100’: ten basic health messages on ten health topics, including for example, malaria and HIV/AIDs. Covering information on the causes, treatments and methods of prevention, the messages are designed to be accessible to those who work with children through different mediums such as mobile phones. The messages provide the substance for interactive learning activities, such as drama, dance and song, through which the children engage with and internalise the health messages.


Leading from ‘The 100’, Children for Health is now developing ‘Stories for Health’ to deepen understanding and adoption of the basic health messages. These will be a collection of childrens’ adventure stories that incorporate health messages into their plots. The stories will be downloadable, and there are plans to produce e-readers and audiobooks to increase their reach further.


The Old Cornelian SUMMER 2016


CHILDREN FOR HEALTH BASE ITS EDUCATIONAL CURRICULUM ON THE CULTURE OF THE COMMUNITY IN WHICH IT WORKS.


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