Mass Cleaning Campaign

Out of many health activities in the school, mass cleaning campaign is one of the important activities in the school. On 28^th April, Darla school conducted a mass cleaning campaign. We called off the afternoon class, and students and teachers gathered in the assembly ground. The campaign begun with area distribution from classes IV to V. And the theme of the campaign was made loud and clear to the students. The theme was, “Clean Darla, Clean Bhutan. Clean Bhutan, Clean Earth.” The students and teachers went to the last point of the area singing the theme and requesting parents to come out and clean. The health club members also had various massages written and pasted on their back and front part of the body.

The mass cleaning campaign covered the town and villages of Darla. Many classes of students and teachers went as far as three kilometers from the school to clean and create awareness. We covered Darla bazaar, BPPL, Police gate, RNR, and Darla Lhakhang.

The presence of the public in the cleaning campaign was requested in the teachers-parents meeting, and for that, the health committee also sent letters to bazaar thsogpa, BPPL,and the Darla Gup. Except for a few shopkeepers for a few refreshments, a few people from Bazaar, no public came forward to clean on that day. Our main aim was to create awareness among the public. But we feel that we have created while we went out singing our theme loud. The presence of few public didn’t deter as we have huge numbers of students. Not only did our cleaning well but also have lots of funs. The cleaning campaign was a successful one as we collected almost 50 sacks of waste.  When we gather back in the school, a bottle of litchi juice was given to quench thirst from the scorching heat of the day. Below are some photos of the day.

World Health Day 2016 in Darla School: Step Up: Beat Diabetics

Beat Diabetes

Darla school celebrated World Health Day. The day was marked with many health and hygiene-related activities. In the morning, we had the day’s speech by the health club members, and there the music was played about a healthy song. In the afternoon, the health staff of Darla was requested to give a talk, and upon our request, three staff came and gave wide coverage of health and hygiene issues and care. Teachers and Students from classes VI to 10 gathered in the MPH for the talk. Two health teachers gave a basic health talk to the students of class pp to V in the assembly ground. They also cleaned toilets, water tank,s and water sources. The photos below tell the story of the whole thing.

Giving speech

This was the speech delivered on that day. “Today, 7^th of April is World Health Day. It is celebrated every year on the founding day of the World Health Organization. Established in 1950 this event has a theme each year to draw attention to a current world health issue. On this day, we remind ourselves to take some extra steps to care for your health, spread the news of health and threats, and inform the important issues of global health.

This year, WHO is focusing the World Health Day, on beat diabetics.

Listening passionately

Diabetes is a serious, chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. In 2008, an estimated 347 million people in the world had diabetes and the prevalence is growing, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

In 2012, the disease was the direct cause of some 1.5 million deaths, with more than 80% of those occurring in low- and middle-income countries. WHO projects that diabetes will be the 7th leading cause of death by 2030.

There are 2 main forms of diabetes. People with type 1 diabetes typically make none of their own insulin and therefore require insulin injections to survive. People with type 2 diabetes, the form that comprises some 90% of cases, usually produces their own insulin, but not enough or they are unable to use it properly. People with type 2 diabetes are typically overweight and sedentary, 2 conditions that raise a person’s insulin needs.

Over time, high blood sugar can seriously compromise every major organ system in the body, causing heart attacks, strokes, nerve damage, kidney failure, blindness, impotence and infections that can lead to amputations. It was observed that 2.5% of the population (Male: 2.8%, Females: 2.1%) were known diabetics in Bhutan.

A large proportion of diabetes cases are preventable. Simple lifestyle measures have been shown to be effective in preventing or delaying the onset of type 2 diabetes. Maintaining a normal body weight, engaging in regular physical activity, and eating a healthy diet can reduce the risk of diabetes.

The main goals of the World Health Day 2016 campaign will be to:

• Increase awareness about the rise in diabetes, and its staggering burden and consequences, in particular in low-and middle-income countries;
• Trigger a set of specific, effective, and affordable actions to tackle diabetes. These will include steps to prevent diabetes and diagnose, treat and care for people with diabetes; and
• Launch the first Global report on diabetes, which will describe the burden and consequences of diabetes and advocate for stronger health systems to ensure improved surveillance, enhanced prevention, and more effective management of diabetes.”

Health talks by Darla BHU staff

And it begins

Wide coverage of topics

How to? and What to?

What is H1N1 and others...?

Demonstrating practically

MHM and care

Our health board with various messages

Students cleaned the water tank

Annual Darla Rimdro

A one-day Darla school Rimdro was conducted in Darla MPH on 17^th March. The Rimdro, religiously named as Tshogkhor; wish-fulfilling and well being was organized by Darla School.

The one-day ritual was presided over by His Lam Naten of Chukha Dzongkhag.

During the ceremony, various rituals such as the lighting of butter lamps, Tshogkhor(Wish-fulfilling ritual), purification ritual, Tormas, and others were conducted.

Buddhists are nature-worshippers and believe in divinity, the soul, and the primordial energy form. Jingsey is one such rituals, which will appease harmful evils and placate death spirits and strengthen life. We perform rituals by offering nine grains like rice, millet, wheat, maize, mustard, etc, flowers, fruits and holy water to their deities.

The celebration was very simple, nature-friendly as meat and alcohol items were not served. Students and the public were served butter tea, sugar tea, biscuit, and pure vegetable meals on the day.

Hundreds of devotees from Darla and nearby vicinities offer prayers at the annual Rimdro.

The Rimdro was performed for the peace and well-being of the Darla family, the community, the King, the country and the people.

The Rimdro was a successful one, and it was due to the worthy efforts and cooperation rendered by all the individual teachers, principals, students and the community. It wouldn’t have been a lavish Rimdo if it was not goodwill support from the students’ parents. We have a practice of collecting nu.100/- from each student to conduct this rimdro. On the other hand, many parents and teachers credibly brought both cash and kind. Many parents contributed firewood, sacks of rice bags, oil bottles, vegetables, juices, dals, etc to name a few.

“Rituals such as this have multiple functions in the family and in the culture,” says one of the school Lopens. “It is an effective agent in promoting family health and well-being. Not only that, rituals facilitate the transmission of values and beliefs. Rituals provide support and containment for strong emotions. Facilitation of coordination between individuals, families and communities,” he added.

Rituals are important and useful ways of assisting individuals and families in dealing with transitions and losses, bringing about healing and transmitting values from generation to generation. The effective use of rituals is one avenue of strengthening families and creating an environment where personal well-being is enhanced.

Lunch was served to students and the public.

Songs and dances were also performed by students to refresh and entertain themselves.

The ritual is being held annually.

 Some photographs of the Rimdro:

Health in the School-Washing Water Tank by our Students

The tank must be cleaned to ensure that water stored in the tank does not become contaminated by dirt or traces of the substance the tank previously held. We cleaned and scrubbed all internal surfaces and we washed all internal surfaces to remove all traces of detergent. The photos below show our students cleaning the water tank on 5/3/2016.