Newsletter 02 2006.pdf - Sight and Life

NEWSLETTER 2/2006
35
SIGHT AND LIFE
Knowledge and perception of vitamin A
deficiency in the villages of Burkina Faso
Rosemary Fleury Téchoueyres, Youzondo Association, Bordeaux-Caudéran, France
During missions to the north of
Burkina Faso, we noticed cases
of night blindness. This led us to
found the Youzondo Association,
whose name, in the Moré language,
refers to this condition.
Operation
In many areas we chose to create
village associations consisting of
a committee of eight people and
two delegates per district. They
meet every quarter to discuss a
topic related to nutrition, communication
or agriculture. Their
activities are coordinated with the
national Burkinabé Association
for the Prevention of Youzondo.
It all began under the palabras
tree at Petit Samba. As usual
between 1pm and 4pm we were
discussing everyone’s concerns,
particularly with regard to children’s
health, and this was how
we heard about Youzondo sickness.
Action taken
With the help of a student pharmacist
from Ouagadougou, we
studied the average composition
of the diets of 80 mothers
and their children by means of
a questionnaire. This evaluative
work also took into account levels
of plasma retinol and conjunctival
impression tests. The extent of vitamin
A deficiency at Petit Samba
was found to be a serious public
health problem.
The second stage was to organize
a day of festive and sporting
events, including a bicycle race,
a football match, and a theatre
performance given by Hippolyte
Ouangrawa’s troupe. This show
portrays a village family whose
son suffers from night blindness.
It describes the intervention of
members of his family, the woman
next door, the marabout, and the
nurse at the Centre of Health and
Social Advancement. The subject
(i.e. the dangers of vitamin A deficiency,
the way to deal with it,
the kinds of food which contain
it etc.) is treated both accurately
and humorously. Afterwards, a forum
allows the audience to react,
to ask questions, and to give their
point of view.
The third part of our approach
was training. Thanks to subsidies,
we were able to create health
broadcasts for local radio. We
also organized 3 days of training
with a medical nutritionist and
a sociologist, aimed at nurses,
district delegates, and teachers.
We stressed the importance of
a varied diet. We recommended
orange fruits and vegetables
(mangoes, papayas, carrots,
and orange sweet potatoes)
and vegetables with dark green
leaves (leaves of sorrel, niebe and
baobab). Other foods, however,
are not so readily available: eggs,
liver, milk and related products,
and red palm oil, the supply of
which has been stopped from
Ivory Coast.
Results
Three hundred and sixty-five
mango trees have been planted in
Petit Samba. At Bonou, we have
a one-hectare market garden.
Two other villages are about to
begin growing for the market.
At Tiogo, a dispensary has been
built. Schools are circulating
health information thanks to the
educational materials sent by
SIGHT AND LIFE.
Conclusions
We are preparing a 5-year scientific
evaluation of the effect of
awareness-raising at the village
of Petit Samba for 2007.
We would like to thank the many
people who help us to do our job,
whether through work, donations,
or in other ways.