19 000 children involved in Plan's deworming campaign

Plan Togo and the Togolese Red Cross launched on October 25th its second large scale deworming campaign at school, which will reach in the weeks to come again about 19,000 children from 82 schools in Tchamba, Tchaoudjo, Sotouboua, Blitta and East Mono. 

Up to 89 % of children from the participating schools showed parasite infections, mainly due to unsafe health and hygiene practices at school and at home. Worm-infections do not only compromise children's growth and overall health situation, they also reduce their chances to succeed in school and contribute to school drop out; children out of school grow into adults with limited capacities to take charge of their own families' health needs and rights.

 To break this cycle of poverty transfer, Plan puts children are at the heart of its deworming project in Togo: All participating schools have established school health clubs, which receive systematic training helping children not only to understand and talk about the link between hygiene practices and health to others, but more importantly to create young leaders at school who can take charge of health and sanitation activities at school and community level.

They work together with village water and sanitation committees to make sure that other activities carried out under the program to rehabilitate and improve use of local water points are fully sustained by the people. Plan Togo also works together with the Ministries of Health and Education to develop a national strategy for school health interventions.
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