Puppeteers want you to WaSH*! (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene to help Prevent Intestinal Parasitic Infections

Our group won the Creative Health Education in Community Medicine, held yesterday 9AM at the MASA building, performing a live puppet show as a unique communication tool.  The group also had a DVD output which made a television debut today at the local PRTV 12 station, and will be shown 2:30 PM every weekdays.  Congratulations to our group!! It was worth the effort of over 3 overnights and hours of working on the script, puppets and other outputs.  Our battlecry as a group was, we'll give it our best, and win or lose we'll get our food! hahah We love to eat. 

THE TASK IN A NUTSHELL

Communication is a powerful tool that physicians must be able to harness to be able to get through to his patients or to the community- it is only upon using the right approach that they are able to create positive changes in behavior.

Group 1 was given the topic Intestinal Parasitic Infections.  Taking cue from the Department of Health’s existing programs like “Garantisadong Pambata” which offer deworming as one of its service packages, as well as the Soil Transmitted Helminthiasis Control Program, the group created a unique communication tool that would help effectively raise awareness about Intestinal Parasitic Infections- the cause, signs and symptoms of infection, treatment, and methods of prevention.

THE TARGET AUDIENCE:  Pre-school and school-age children and their parents.

THE TOOL:  Children respond to colorful characters so the group decided to stage a puppet show with a simple story that young minds would appreciate and easily understand.  The challenge involved translating highly technical information into a presentation that would imbue the values of cleanliness to children with the message “WASH” (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) – the cornerstone of the STHCP.

            The puppet show will be in Filipino so that people from around the country will be able to understand the message.  During a scene, the group will show an actual preserved Ascaris lumbricoides var. hominis to add realism to the show.  A pamphlet will also serve to further the knowledge of people on the cause and prevention of intestinal parasitism. 

            An original song composition about hand washing will serve as the finale for the group presentation. During this time the group will distribute free soaps to encourage hand washing.

THE MATERIALS:  Old socks for intestinal parasites, and old dolls and stuffed toys for the main characters. 

THE OUTPUTS: Live puppet show with original song composition with the length of 5 minutes and 43 seconds, Pamphlet, DVD, and written output. An additional fun shoot consisting of bloopers and cast of characters will be shown after the presentation to fill in the time while soaps will be distributed.