Tufutafoe #1

Our first seminar is in the books. Yesterday we took on the men, women, and primary school students of Tufutafoe. The venue was the school hall and there were approximately 60 in attendence. 40 of which were students. There were 3 nurses from the Sataua district hospital who performed the screenings and helped us explain some of the more complicated points such as BMI. Two students assisted with the skits. One of the girls narrated the skit and the other did the rice weight demonstration.

In the picture above Mose, a local nurse explains to a local chief how the BMI chart works while Semisi writes down height and weight information.

This is the rice weight demonstration. We took a twenty pound bag of rice, an old shirt, and filled pockets with rice. The pockets were sewn onto the shirt by our seamstress department, which consists of Sieni. The weight was distributed throughout the shirt to make it as obese like as possible eg. neck, back, and arms. A normal weight person who is preselected from the audience is asked to sweep the floor once without the weight and then once with the weight.

The girl from Tufutafoe did great even though she overacted a bit. The rest of the program went well. For being the first one of the tour I felt we were well prepared and were able to get our point across.

At the conclusion of the program we were fed by the local women's committee. This is the ironic part and also the reason you have to have a sense of humor to work here. They fed us fried chicken and canned corn beef. So our seminar didn't make an immediate impact, but I think that a few still got the point.


The above picture shows nurses Tuatupu and Sianufe providing diabetes and hypertension checkups for locals from Tufutafoe.

Here are some pictures from the rest of the program.

"The Weight Loss Contest"

Why do people eat right and stay physically active? They feel better in the short term and will probably live longer and not face the burdens of frequent hospital visits, dependency on prescription drugs, and seeing their family members suffer.

This is one message we are trying to convey in order to get people to make better lifestyle choices. Samoans love to compete with one another. To capture that competitive spirit we have added a weight loss contest to the program. The participants who are obese or overweight that are able to lose 4 kilograms (8.82 lbs) in 8 weeks will win a small prize. Each village has been provided with a scale that is open to the public to use.

It is important to note that the last thing we want to suggest is that the reason for living healthy is to win a prize and we have made that clear throughout the seminars. The “real” prize is what is mentioned in the first paragraph. Unfortunately, that is difficult to measure and follow up in such a short time.

The prize is an “ie lavalava” that will include a slogan to promote healthy living. This is picture of an “ie lavalava” and how you wear it.

To implement this competition each participant is given a small note card. The front of the card illustrates their position on the BMI (Body Mass Index) chart that is adjusted specifically for Samoans. The back of the card gives them space to track their weight over the next 8 weeks as well as their targeted weight. After weighing the participants, we use the Body Mass Index BMI chart to explain the relationship between their height and weight. The four categories defined by BMI are skinny, normal, overweight, and obese.

"The Need"

I am hungry and thirsty. I go to a shop were my choices will include ice cake, twisties (cheetos), magic creams, and a 750 mL bottle of coke or fanta. What would really be good are mandarin oranges (in season), bananas, and an ice cold coconut. As prevelant as those foods are in Samoa, it is much more difficult to obtain them than junk food from the local shops.

As I was enjoying my cheesy cheetos at the hospital waiting area, a mother and her two year old came and sat down at my table. The baby was not happy and probably hungry. To solve this problem, the mother popped of the top of a 750 mL coke bottle (with her teeth no doubt) and started "feeding" her child. The kid was in heaven. He did not let go until half of the bottle was gone. The mother decided to have a few guzzles of her own. The kid looked at me and I saw the euphoria in his eyes. He's addicted to this poison and wants more. He cries until she gives the bottle back.............and she does.

This scene sums up the problem we face, not only here in Samoa but in most parts of the world. Hopefully this crusade of seminars will enlighten a few people to make better decisions for their families and their future.

Health Crusade Introduction

Health seminars begin tomorrow. Patience and perseverance may indeed finally pay off. We have seven villages scheduled over the next 3 weeks with 3 different groups of nurses. Our mission is to create awareness and provide suggestions for the prevention of diabetes and hypertension. We want to convey the message that your weight has a great impact on your health as the main culprit of these diseases is obesity. So in a nutshell, shed the pounds! Easier said than done but nevertheless, it still needs to be said. Our program includes a comedy skit put on by the Peace Corps volunteers, an informational session explaining the relationship between weight and health, group discussions for suggestions to living healthier, blood sugar/blood pressure screenings, and a weight loss contest to take place over the following 8 weeks. The testing equipment was either donated or purchased with funds provided by some wonderful people from the USA. THANK YOU! Especially to former Samoa PC volunteers Niko and Laura and Lincoln County Kansas Pharmacist Aron McReynolds.

My name is Simi and I'll be taking you through this blogging adventure. Keep in tune over the next two weeks for more updates and pictures on the seminars. Last night I took the pink bus to Asau because it's close to the hospital in Sataua. I stayed at another volunteer's place and ate tuna sandwiches and baked beans. Delicious! Earlier today I had breakfast at Vai-o-moana. Currently I'm waiting to meet with the nurse team to review the plan for tomorrow. Unfortunately it's pregnant lady day and the nurses are swamped.

The rest of the team, Sieni, Leni, Peni, and Elisa are waiting for the bus in Salelologa. Semisi is building fish tanks in his village.

Let me first introduce our team.

Sieni













Semisi



















Peni


Leni


Elisa


Simi



And the man who inspired us to continue the work he started.

Niko