Social exclusion and violence:
Education for social cohesion

NATIONAL SCHOOL HEALTH PROGRAM

CAPE VERDE

The National School Health Program of Cape Verde aims at improving the sanitary conditions of the school populations. Its goal is to develop the students' awareness and practice of behavior favorable to health and environmental care, in a context of extreme poverty, lack of hygiene and infectious diseases. This work carried out in schools stimulating the participation of the whole community, promotes actions which focus on avoiding the social exclusion of unfavored sectors. In this way, the program integrates health and education by generating sensitization processes addressed to students and teachers, in view of creating a favorable environment, as far as sanitary care and preservation is concerned.

The School Health Program is addressed mainly to the EBI' s students (Integral Base Education, free and compulsory education, and lasting 6 years), stimulating the active participation of the civil society. It has been developed by the Cape Verde Institute of Social School Action (ICASE). This organism, under the supervision of the Ministry of Education, has administrative and financial autonomy. The project is carried out through different the following activities: elaboration and spread-out of teaching materials (teachers handbooks, hygiene-promoting and education games); radio and TV sensitization campaigns, including TV health educational programs (with marionettes, children's songs and tales). There was also an improvement effort addressed to improve the sanitary conditions of educational spaces and activities promoting the participation of families and community members with the aim of consolidating school learning in the whole population. Likewise, teachers are trained so that clinical exams are done (skin diseases diagnose, caries, malnutrition, etc.) and a students' health follow-up through the "sanitary record book".

The Republic of Cape Verde is an archipelago composed of 10 volcanic islands, lacking in material resources, where drought and soil impoverishment are common characteristics. More than 1/3 of the population is poor and a 45% of the inhabitants are younger than 15 years. The hygiene behavior, especially in rural families, is very precarious and the domestic spaces where children circulate are heavily polluted and have become a source of many diseases. On the other hand, the schools' lack of waters (2/3 of the schools, on a total of 441 buildings) and the absence of toilets and waste containers (1/2 of the schools) make hygiene behavior learning difficult. Given these situations, ICASE has developed different actions that have been currently condensed into a national program. This initiative considers that the lack of information concerning sanity can finally become learning problems and school desertion, stressing the inequality and marginalization of the population in a state of poverty.

Dr. Fernanda Toledo D'Elia
Cape Verde School Social Action Institute (ICASE)
C.P. 21-A Praia - Cape Verde
Tel.: 62.11.92/62.15.44
Fax: 62.15.45
E-mail: ftdelia@yahoo.com

Institutional Partners
Ministry of Education, Science, Youth and Sport of Cape Verde,
UNICEF.
Financial Partners
Lux Development, UNICEF, WHO

April 2001 (National Program)
Since 1998 several school health projects have been developed (Teacher's Handbook Elaboration, Vocal and-Dental Health Promotion, Hygiene and Environment Sensitizing Campaign, etc.). They have been the antecedents of the current program.