Healthier Kids, Happier Futures
The Impact of Our Child Health Programme & Screening Campaign
As the 2026 academic year draws to a close, we are thrilled to share an update on one of our most impactful community initiatives – our School Health Programme. Launched beautifully on the eve of World Children’s Day in November 2025 with the full backing of the Directors of Health and Education, our Congo team (including Joyce and Henri, Dr. Osee, and visiting volunteers Dr. Arden Kwan, Dr. Mei Chow-Kwan, Marion Kemboi, Henry Ramnath and David Menna) has been scaling up our reach, bringing vital medical attention directly into local classrooms. Marked as the first large-scale campaign of its kind in our region, our goal was simple yet ambitious: care for the whole child by stripping away the fear of seeing a doctor and making health education completely accessible, interactive, and fun!
A Day in the Field
During a typical screening day, our Congo team would hit the ground running by 7:30 AM to set up four specialised outdoor tents on school property:
Station 1: Growth Tracking – Registration and taking measurements such as mid-arm circumference and BMI percentiles.
Station 2: Vision Screening – Comprehensive eye examinations
Station 3: Dental & Medical Screenings – Examination areas tailored for boys and girls, combined with lively lessons on proper dental hygiene while students waited.
Station 4: Celebration & Check-out – Every student walked away with a health certificate promoting healthy living, an educational children’s magazine, and a parent notification letter detailing any recommended medical follow-ups.
The energy was infectious. The kids even surprised us with a beautiful, handmade poster for Journée Universelle des Enfants to wish the medical team a happy World Children’s Day.
The Cumulative Impact: Helpful & Sobering Realities
We have now visited 21 out of the town’s 30 primary schools. Together, we have successfully screened 890 sixth-grade students (aged 9 to 19) and 185 dedicated teachers.
The aggregated findings from these screenings have demonstrated a clear, undeniable picture of the hidden health burdens within the Ouesso community:
For Our Students
Vision Hurdles: More than half of the students screened were found to have eye or vision problems that require further professional assessment.
Dental Care Gaps: 29% of students faced dental issues, with one in four suffering from untreated cavities—heavily driven by a lack of regular dental care and basic hygiene tools.
General Medical Needs: Almost half (47.9%) required medical follow-ups for underlying health concerns, including frequent headaches (32.3%), gastrointestinal symptoms (14.9%), and respiratory issues (9.4%).
For Our Educators
Our teachers give so much to their classrooms, but the data showed they need a helping hand with their own health, too:
Cardiovascular Risks: More than half of the teachers screened had elevated or high blood pressure readings warranting further follow-up. Alarmingly, a few individuals were discovered to have critically severe hypertension (over 180/120 mmHg) without any prior diagnosis, allowing our team to step in with urgent referrals.
Metabolic Trends: The average BMI among the screened teachers sat at 30.6, indicating a significant regional burden of being overweight, which directly increases long-term risks for chronic conditions like diabetes, and were given lifestyle advice.
Looking Ahead: Keeping the Momentum Alive
This screening is also being analysed as part of a research collaboration with the University of Edinburgh Medical School, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and the University of British Columbia. The findings will be shared in due course, helping to guide and strengthen future services.
These numbers aren’t just statistics; they represent real children and educators in our neighbourhoods who have been quietly navigating illnesses without a proper diagnosis, or access to care and treatment.
While every child took part went home with actionable health messages about nutrition, exercise, and hygiene to share with their families, our work is far from finished.
To respond to these urgent community needs, sustain our follow-up care, and keep these screenings running through the rest of 2026 and beyond, we need more hands on our team and more resources.
Join Us in Transforming Community Health
If you feel called to step up—whether by joining our field team, our researchers, or supporting us financially—your generosity will directly fund medication, dental treatments, corrective eyeglasses, and regular health monitoring. Together, we can build healthier families and a brighter, happier future for Ouesso!
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