©InfoThe red highlights in Sarah’s hair glint as she sits in the midday sun. “Getting the well has made a big difference to our lives, but also we’ve learned so much from the Red Cross, such as how to prevent malaria,” says Sarah, a teacher at the local primary school.
“For me being trained in first aid was the best thing. Previously when children got hold of detergent in the home and drank it, we gave them palm oil to drink. But now we’ve learned we should give them water and take them for medical attention.
“The first aid training is very practical and I’ve used it at work. When a child gets a nosebleed we used to put leaves up their nose. Now I know to hold the nose and tell them to open their mouth and wait for it to stop. One child often gets nosebleeds and I told him to tell his mum what to do.”
There is no ambulance service in Liberia and although the nearest health clinic is 15 minutes away it is private and most people can’t afford to go there. The public clinic is 45 minutes away. Sarah says: “Five of us have been trained in basic first aid, now we need to learn more in depth. I think it’s important to train many people in first aid as it saves lives.”
Changing perceptions
©InfoIn Liberia, the use of condoms has negative connotations for many people, some believe it will permanently stop their ability to reproduce. It can also be perceived as a sign of being unfaithful.
Rolland Enders, Liberia Red Cross programme officer, says: “We need to improve our pamphlets, which get across the important messages and also ensure they are translated into local tribal languages. We also need to be more practical. People often don’t believe the messages they hear, they think it’s a white man fabrication. But when we show them videos of people who have been infected with HIV and the effects on those who develop AIDS, they begin to understand.”
Since the Red Cross started carrying out HIV education, condoms have become more widely used. People are no longer ashamed to collect them from the Red Cross branches. Boxes of condoms are also distributed in communities.
Sarah says: “Before when a carton of condoms arrived, only a few would go, but now people are much more responsive, especially young people. When the Red Cross drops off a box, you turn your back for a moment and the condoms are all gone!”
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