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It wasn’t until her conversation with a group of secondary school students years ago, though, that she realized how she might educate the next generation in new ways. “I asked this group of students about the cause of the high temperatures we were experiencing, and none of them could give me an answer,” Njapen says. “They had no knowledge of climate change. I wanted to educate them not only about climate change as a concept but also about how we as humans are contributing to the problem.”
“Many young adults shy away from health education, especially when it comes to sexual and reproductive health,” Phyllis says. “Getting them to participate is a big challenge. In Uganda, many people are also not Informed about different family planning methods. That’s why we need health education to challenge misconceptions and make an impact. With these tools in hand, women across the country are better equipped to learn about and discuss critical health topics.
“In my four years of clinical practice, I witnessed how much misinformation resulted in serious health problems for the public,” Brenda says. “Health education matters a lot in Uganda because the prevalence of infectious and non-communicable diseases is still very high.”Indeed, the prevalence of non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease and cancer has increased rapidly in years past, accounting for 35 percent of the country’s deaths in 2014, according to the World Health Organization.
In fact, it is estimated that 5.4% of the population in the African region suffers from a depressive disorder and just over 3%, an anxiety disorder, according to a 2017 study by the World Health Organization (PDF, 1.7MB).To address this, Rukayya is working to educate her peers about the emotional intricacy of illnesses such as anxiety that are unseen and, as she explains, unnoticed. To this, she adds that mental health advocates suffering from anxiety or depression should take care of themselves before attempting to change others’ minds.
“Years ago I visited an orphanage in southwest Nigeria; that’s where I met Ruth, a 10-year-old girl with a hunger-stricken frame and infected with ringworm. Ruth was one of 50 children in that tiny orphanage. These kids were in desperate need of food and medical help.”After meeting Ruth, Olugbenga began assembling volunteers to help orphans across the state. In November 2019, Olugbenga took his initiative a step further and organized a YALILearns session on financial planning.
“One challenge we faced is that new mothers don’t have the time to take antenatal classes,” Joy says. “So we decided to put our classes online.As new parents, it’s important to have as much information as possible about pregnancy, labour, and birth. Midwives are instrumental in this, teaching mothers not only how to handle and nurse their babies, but also what to expect as new mothers — services doctors can be too busy to provide.”
“I began my work in the men’s ward and, when I was transferred to the women’s section, I saw that women were suffering from severe conditions, but it wasn’t the conditions themselves at issue, but the culture. Mahlet’s interest in the field stems, in part, from her early work in hospitals in the city and the great gender disparity she witnessed there. The group’s latest work has included organizing pledge drives for cancer patients, distributing flyers about the risk factors associated with breast cancer, and holding the first public discussion in Addis Ababa about sexual harassment in the health sector.
For Samirah, making the most of her time during the COVID-19 pandemic has meant building new skills and improving on her existing ones. To those despairing in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Samirah calls for a different posture, one of hope and perseverance. You have to think beyond yourself, to help others succeed, and to understand that every action you take has an effect on those around you. For Samirah, making the most of her time during the COVID-19 pandemic has meant building new skills and improving on her existing ones.
We are inviting Ethiopians to join the fight against COVID-19 by protecting essential frontline responders, instituting safe workplaces through the adoption of WHO guidelines, and engaging medical staff in accurate and timely communications on the disease. Among the myths, Suraphel has heard about the pandemic include that the virus resulted from a laboratory accident. It’s myths like these that sow discord and confusion. It’s up to young leaders, Suraphel explains, to challenge and correct this misinformation.
“My advice to other young leaders organizing in-person or virtual sessions is to plan early and be prepared for setbacks,” Segun says, reflecting on the technical difficulties he faced on the day of his session, among them a power outage. It’s important to give your audience an experience that will spur them to act and to act now,” That sense of urgency is vital, as you only have one chance to make an impact on participants. Segun found over the course of his session and other work with young adults a surprising openness to new perspectives and a willingness to entertain new ideas in a spirit of collaboration.
