2000 pupils in Ga West schooled on oral health
More than 2000 pupils from four basic schools in the Ga West Municipality of the Greater Accra Region have benefited from a basic hygiene project dubbed “Healthy Teeth, Happy Smile.”
The two-day event saw the children and their teachers taken through basic oral health practices, effective tooth brushing techniques, cavity prevention and some basic tooth safety tips.
Each of them was presented with a set of tooth brush and tooth paste.
The project is an initiative of the Hands of Gold Foundation, an Accra based non-governmental organisation (NGO).
The beneficiary schools included; Ayikai Doblo Municipal Assembly (MA) 1 Basic School, Mayera Presby M.A 1 Basic School, St. Paul’s Anglican School and Akwatsire M.A Basic School.
Addressing the pupils, the health education lead for the foundation, Ms Fredous Adjei Konadu, re-echoed the need for more oral health education campaigns to be organised in schools, particularly those in deprived and underserved communities.
She noted that, even though oral health was very important, many did not pay attention to it due to the lack of education.
Ms Konadu who is also a dental surgery technician at the Kaneshie Polyclinic, explained that the project was to empower the children to imbibe the habit of oral hygiene and make it a daily and regular routine.
The Coordinator of the School Health Education Programme (SHEP) for the Ga West Education Directorate, Mrs Margaret Akosua Akpabli, lauded the foundation for the initiative, and said it was important to teach children proper healthcare practices in their formative years.
“Children must be taught proper health care practices and encouraged to use fluoride based toothpastes, brush at least twice a day and visit the dentist at least twice a year,” she emphasised.
The schools were given assorted sports items as well as the foundation’s paraphernalia as part of the programme.
On his part, the Administrative Manager of the foundation, Mr Rex Kumordzi, said the oral education project would be an annual affair between the foundation and various schools in the country.
He used the opportunity to call on corporate institutions, private individuals and other well-meaning Ghanaians to support the foundation in their quest to ensure oral hygiene among Ghanaians.
The heads of the four beneficiary schools thanked the foundation for the kind gesture, and called for more in the years to come.
The foundation also used the occasion to distribute quantities of sanitary pads to some of the school girls.
Mr Kumordzi explained that even though it was an oral hygiene event, the foundation decided to take advantage to pilot its “Get a pad, Get educated, Get a good life project.”
BY CLIFF EKUFUL
