New Month - New Teaching Lesson

Well, I continue on out in Kongu teaching the Fulani about health. This month's topic??

Oral Rehydration Solution

How to keep your body healthy until your diarrhea is finished - our bodies need water and salt to stay healthy - both of which we lose while sick.

It is possible to buy solution packages at the local pharmacies, or receive a free one from the doctor at the clinic - if you are willing to wait hours to see him. But, it is not always possible to purchase one of these - especially for those who live in the bush 20 kilometres from town! The main teaching portion of this lesson is to show them how to make their own Oral Rehydration Solution. Then, I cover how much and when to drink it.

The following photo shows all the components necessary . . . yes, you too can now make your own oral rehydration solution after reading this post!!

• oral rehydration packets (I explain how to use these if they are in town to buy one)
• sugar
• salt (market salt, which I pounded with my rolling pin!)
• soap (to wash your hands before you start - and wash your dishes)
• drinking cup
• stirring spoon
• clean jar for the solution
• small 500ml bottle for measuring
• clean water (if you draw water from the marsh in the bush . . . boil 10 minutes to have clean water!!)
• Sobey's bag (ok - not essential for the ORS, but a nifty carrier of all my supplies!)

Once you have assembled your materials - you are ready to start making your own ORS:

1. wash your hands with soap
2. measure 1L of clean water into your clean jar (2x the small bottle)
3. measure two handfuls of sugar into the water
4. measure three finger pinches of salt - 3 times into the water
5. stir with a clean spoon until it is completed mixed
6. taste - you should be able to taste both the salt and the sugar
7. add more of one if necessary (usually the salt)

At this point, I pass the cup around to all the lesson participants so that they can taste the water in order to know the taste when they make it at home. I then continue with the teaching on how much they or their children should drink and when.

During these times, I learn a little about the Fulani culture - especially their love of laughter and teasing. The first day I taught the lesson I forgot that they have two words for diarrhea - one to use for children struck with said malady (the medical term - diarrhea) and another more polite word for adults (because it is shameful to have said malady). The polite word would be similar to our saying: I have the runs. Actually, it is that - the noun is derived from the verb 'to run'. Anyways . . .

I forgot this my first lesson and said: 'each time after an adult or a child xxxx' - and used said medical and shameful word. Well, all the men in the group kinda giggled and I quickly revised the word for the rest of the lesson!

However, my new favourite moment in teaching arrived last week:

As I started into the second teaching component - when and how much to drink of this water - a latecomer arrived to the mat. The man sitting next to me got a twinkle in his eye and, motioning to the salt/sugar water, he mentioned that I should offer said latecomer water. This man unsuspectingly accepted the water - it is customary to offer water to a guest upon their arrival in the Fulani culture - and the crowd of men goes still and silent as they all watch this man take his first drink. They have all sipped the water to taste - this man drank as if it normal water! The look on his face was priceless as he noticed the odd taste, and the group of men - and I - burst into loud and uproarious laughter. It was fun to sit and laugh with these people - and once the group explained to him the lesson plan, he laughed right along!