Health is one of SA4D's focus areas. We believe that creating an equitable and sustainable world for all requires a thriving and healthy population. However, inequalities persist in access to quality health care, correlated with environmental, social and economic factors. All SA4D projects follow a holistic approach, integrating multiple focus areas to ensure comprehensive, effective, and lasting solutions.
“I learned something with the hygiene game ‘Spread the Word’, which practically illustrates how illnesses spread. Through playful methods I can explain difficult [health] topics to my son at home.”
Pushpa, the mother of 6-year-old Nagesh, learned through one of SA4D’s and CREDA’s parental awareness raising classes about the importance of healthy child development and hygiene. She also learned how to make learning about health and hygiene interesting for Nagesh by using games and playful activities.
What is SA4D doing?
SA4D aims to promote healthy development and lifestyles among children and young people, including their families, caretakers and communities, thereby enhancing physical and mental wellbeing through sport and play. Key issues that SA4D focuses on include supporting children and young people who experienced conflict or disasters in coping with those experiences and in strengthening their psychosocial health and resilience. SA4D also promotes young women’s and men’s sexual and reproductive health, enabling them to make informed decisions about their relationships, bodies, and family lives with confidence and respect. In addition, SA4D raises awareness on hygiene, nutrition, available health services and improves access to clean water and healthy food.
How is SA4D doing this?
In collaboration with our implementing partners, SA4D uses sport and play as a method to support project participants in these areas. When we teach them about diseases, we engage them through sport and use games that help to bring the message across. When encouraging healthy lifestyles, we showcase hygiene and nutrition practices through play. To improve psychosocial health, we allow participants to let their emotions run free and to talk about experiences in the safe and positive setting of a game.
Here’s an example activity: Coping with Adverse Life Events!
Depending on the needs, we complement our programmes with the provision of material and medical support, as well as counselling and youth clubs. As many health issues are linked to other social issues, we ensure that these are also addressed through the holistic nature of SA4D projects, which cover multiple focus areas to create more thorough and lasting solutions.
Why is SA4D doing this?
While health and well-being are important at all stages of one’s life, they are fundamentally so in the earlier years. Many of the health problems people face as adults have their origins in childhood or adolescence. Access to proper healthcare and information can change the course of a person’s life and set them up to reach their full potential. Conflicts and natural disasters present major threats to children and young people’s physical and mental health. After a traumatic experience, it is essential to support those affected in restoring normalcy in their daily lives. A healthy life and wellbeing are key factors in children and young people’s development, in their successful education and social relations, in becoming active members of their communities and in planning for a sustainable future. Every child and young person strives for physical, social and mental well-being, wanting and deserving to live a healthy life.
