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Schools 4 Change

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By Muhammad Hamza Khan (YES 2011-2012, Pakistan, hosted by American Councils in Park Falls, WI)

“Won a battle, but the war against cancer isn't over yet. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I relapsed just a few days back. I am a 21-year-old who should be worrying about my quizzes and if I made above average, but instead I have to worry about my blood counts being in the normal range. I am 21-year-old who should be worrying about my GPA, but instead I worry about the result of my biopsies. I am a 21-year-old who should be searching for the best post-graduate universities abroad, but instead I am searching for the best cancer clinics abroad. I am a 21-year-old who should be returning to university this week, but instead I am being hospitalized again. I am a 21-year-old who should be worrying about a chipped nail, but instead I worry about the effects of chemotherapy. I am a 21-year-old who should be worrying about relationships, but instead I worry about emotional attachment with almost anyone. I am a 21-year-old who should be the one making trips to the hospital for her parents and wheeling them around, but instead they are the ones doing it for me. But none of that upsets me; it only makes me more grateful that I am an extraordinary 21-year-old. I am a 21-year-old with incredible strength, willpower, resilience, and courage to face one of the deadliest maladies again,” writes cancer victim Mahnoor in her final post about her battle. She is now among hundreds of thousands of young adults across the globe who have suffered premature mortality due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs).  

Boys Group Work
Student group discussing NCD risk factors

NCDs are a 21st century, global epidemic that transcends borders. They cause 71% of all deaths globally. Each year, 15 million people between the ages of 30 and 69 die from NCDs, and over 85% of these premature deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. Despite being such a drastic issue, there is a lack of initiative when it comes to combating NCDs due to a reluctance of public participation. The only cure for NCDs lies in making lifestyle changes. Yet people turn a blind eye to the simple fact that the greatest weapon in our fight against diseases is not our ability to cure them, rather it is the foresight to prevent them. To prevent NCDs, we need to raise awareness among the part of the population that can make a significant difference in the future, adolescents and young adults between 13 and 25 years of age.

In 2011, at the age of 15, I set out on my journey as a youth ambassador of my culture and country through the YES program. In Park Falls, WI, I rallied to bring a message of goodwill from Pakistan and to create the everlasting bonds of people-to-people relationships. Through volunteering in Park Falls, I learned that we can all contribute and make a difference. As an aspiring doctor, studying a bachelor’s degree in medicine and surgery, and as a cancer survivor myself, this battle against NCDs is personal to me.  

Girl Speaker Better
Student presenter during awareness workshop

With funding from the YES Alumni Grants program, I initiated Schools 4 Change, a youth-centered program that aims to make students aware of NCDs and their risk factors. Schools 4 Change aspires to (1) educate students about the risk factors that contribute to non-communicable diseases; (2) teach them to protect themselves from these risk factors; and (3) empower them to share the knowledge received during the program through peer-to-peer training and classroom discussions.

The first phase of Schools 4 Change was a Training of Trainers (ToT). A set of medical students were selected as volunteers and trained on NCDs by professionals in early November 2018. These medical student volunteers then delivered a two-day training module to more than 35 high school students on November 15-16, 2018.

The students were told of the risk factors of NCDs and how to prevent them. Heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and lung diseases are collectively responsible for almost 70% of the all deaths worldwide. The students learned how tobacco and alcohol use, physical inactivity, and unhealthy diets are established patterns that increase the risk of death from NCDs. When the students were asked to raise their hand if any of their family members or friends suffered from non-communicable diseases, nearly every hand in the room rose. In the second phase of the project, the students shared their knowledge through presentations and discussions with their school peers. We believe that more than 500 students were made more knowledgeable about NCDs through these group discussions. 

Boy Speaker
Student presenting on alcohol and narcotics use as risk factors

The results derived from the project can be shared with other schools to help them design and implement policies to prevent NCDs and promote a healthy lifestyle among its students. Our project team developed a set of guidelines that we suggest schools adopt to develop a healthier environment for its students. Some recommendations include introducing healthier food in school cafeterias, promotion of physical activity and sports, and ensuring stores in the school vicinity do not sell tobacco products. These guidelines were developed with the help of data and reports from international health organizations, best practices from other countries, guidance of public health experts, and the data collected by our team’s evaluation officer.

The trainers for this project were all medical students from Army Medical College, Rawalpindi. The program was held at Army Public School and College, Rawalpindi, and we are extremely grateful to the school administration for hosting us. We collaborated with the Together We Can Foundation and International Federation of Medical Students Association Pakistan, who provided technical and administrative support, volunteers, and resource development. The project has been renewed by “Step Up!” AstraZeneca Global Grants Programme to recreate this program in another 10-12 high schools, and all the resources produced during project development have been released to IFMSA Pakistan should any other team of medical students want to replicate it.

We would like to thank the U.S. Department of State for sponsoring this project of youth awareness and advocacy under the YES Alumni Grants program. Bold problems require bold actions! Let’s prevent needless suffering by equipping our youth with the right knowledge and attitudes to bring meaningful changes in their lives. 

Group Mhk

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