Where does Cambodia go from here?
How village meetings promote health.
“The village meeting is where I go to learn about health and news”. This statement made by Sopha was echoed by more than half of the women I interviewed. The village meeting is where the community comes together to exchange ideas and further understand issues that concern them. And yet, the Cambodian Ministry of Health is not using these meetings to disseminate health information. My hope is that my research into mosquito-borne disease education and prevention will enlighten the global health field in Cambodia as to which sources of health education are useful and which are not. My time spent in Cambodia, no matter how amateur, should contribute to the health and NGO fields.
International Relief and Development conducted monthly village meetings in order to teach families about mother and child health. Cheng led a meeting on child nutrition and breastfeeding in Kanseng village one morning. He had the women and children laughing and smiling with his enactment of correct breastfeeding form, as he held a baby doll to his chest. As the meeting rolled on, I could see mothers smiling and nodding as they listened to him speak. At the end, mothers answered questions, posed by the IRD staff, on what they had learned. I would rate this session successful based upon the number of women who volunteered correct answers and showed up to the meeting (approximately 25 women showed up to this meeting).
I was able to witness IRD’s involvement with village meetings and experience this method for effectively disseminating health information. Through mutual involvement—IRD organizing and conducting these meetings and villagers attending—health education reached the local population. If NGOs and MOHs want to utilize village meetings they will have to encourage commitment from multiple parties. Participation from NGO staff, the village chief and villagers are what make a village meeting occur. Hopefully my research will highlight the importance of implementing village meetings as a central component to health education for villages throughout Cambodia.
International Relief and Development conducted monthly village meetings in order to teach families about mother and child health. Cheng led a meeting on child nutrition and breastfeeding in Kanseng village one morning. He had the women and children laughing and smiling with his enactment of correct breastfeeding form, as he held a baby doll to his chest. As the meeting rolled on, I could see mothers smiling and nodding as they listened to him speak. At the end, mothers answered questions, posed by the IRD staff, on what they had learned. I would rate this session successful based upon the number of women who volunteered correct answers and showed up to the meeting (approximately 25 women showed up to this meeting).
I was able to witness IRD’s involvement with village meetings and experience this method for effectively disseminating health information. Through mutual involvement—IRD organizing and conducting these meetings and villagers attending—health education reached the local population. If NGOs and MOHs want to utilize village meetings they will have to encourage commitment from multiple parties. Participation from NGO staff, the village chief and villagers are what make a village meeting occur. Hopefully my research will highlight the importance of implementing village meetings as a central component to health education for villages throughout Cambodia.