INTERGENERATIONAL HEALTHY AGEING THROUGH A LIFE COURSE APPROACH IN KIBAHA "AFYA KIBAHA 2025.

                              

A discussion with a community member from Bamba village about their 2 acre farming activity

Introduction 

My name is Judith Bagachwa and I am currently completing a Hilton Prize Coalition Fellowship through HelpAge International Tanzania (HAITAN). I hold a Masters degree in Social Work from Hubert Kairuki in Tanzania. In this blog post am going to write about my project work experience on International Health Ageing Through A Life course Approach in Kibaha “Afya Kibaha”2025. In this project ten (10) communities were involved and participated fully in the project. The ten communities involved were Mlandizi, Mtambani, Mwendapole A, Mwendapole B, Boko Mnemela, Mnemela Kibaoni, Mharakani, Bamba, Picha ya Ndege and Kongowe

The Project “AFYA KIBAHA 2025”

The project "Afya Kibaha 2025" is a community-based approach designed to promote healthy living practices across all ages. This project takes a life course approach to health in view of the role that intergenerational relationships, families, and communities have in promoting health across all ages. It integrates a community-based approach to “reduce modifiable risk factors for non-communicable diseases and underlying social determinants through creation of health-promoting environments”. The project further seeks to increase a sustainable youths engagement and strengthened intergenerational partnerships to support healthy living practices

The project Afya Kibaha 2025 aimed at:

1. Supporting health promotion throughout the life course and improve health among all ages,

2. Prevent/delay the onset of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and

3. Support the health and functioning of older persons with non-communicable diseases.

Project Training and Community Life Competence Approach

During the project a total of 5 trainings sessions involving 240 participants from 10 communities were conducted. Through the use of CLCP approach (Community Life Competence Process) community members were trained and asked to come up with their own health projects that will benefit their communities. CLCP is a process that aims at promoting self-reliance by stimulating older persons to appreciate their strength and abilities. The CLCP facilitates the empowerment of people and communities to discover and use their own strengths to address life concerns.

Having being trained, participants who attended the trainings and had represented their respective communities were able to identify challenging issues within their communities and later come up with ideas on how they can solve health related issues within their communities. As a team community members explored all the opportunities and developed action plans towards achieving their community dreams.

Family health Mentors.

During the training 6 family health mentors (Intergenerational) from each community were selected and given the task of educating communities about health issues especially on Non communicable diseases and guide families to live healthy lives by visiting health clinics, doing regular exercises, and setting up vegetable gardens.

The aim of conducting trainings was to ensure that healthy lives is promoted and advocated to all ages (Children, Youth, Adults and Older Persons). The community dreams and action plans therefore focused on promoting intergenerational healthy practices to better protect communities from health risks.

Participants planning and strategizing about their community dream

Outcome of the Project

·   There has ben an increasing number of people understanding the importance doing regular exercises and  joined the existing active ageing groups.

·    Community members were encouraged and motivated to have vegetable gardens both at family level and community level and as a result family members are now eating nutritional food staff from their own gardens

·     There has bee an increased number of youths adults and older persons going for health checkups

Mzee Bundi and his wife standing infromt of their vegetable garden at Mharakani Village

Community members from Mwndapole A, doing regular exercises in the early morning before sunrise.

Learning Festival

In March 2017 a learning festival was conducted and all the ten communities were invited to come and share their experiences. During the festival video clips from different communities and their projects were shown. Testimonies of how the Intergenerational project had helped children, youths and older person were also shown. The CLCP approach had a positive impact on people’s lives in Kibaha. The CLCP approach required people to use their own resources and strengths to achieve their goals at family and community level. The process itself guides people not to be dependants and instead apply and their own resource. The festival helped people realise that they can do something better for themselves and improve on their lives.

                                 

             Women from different communities displaying their own initiative hand made products at the learning Festival in Kibaha

                                             
                               Partipants from Mtambani village enjoying the learning Festival

                                      
                                     Bibi Elizabeth Nkwela checking her blood pressure at the health desk.

I am so thankful I was able to conduct this project I have been able to see how a young generation can work with older generation and bring change in a community. Through HelpAge and Hilton Prize Coalition Fellowship a door has been opened for me and my organisation. I have learned and gained a lot from the field. 

ASANTE SANA.