Puppeteers without Borders: A new milestone in health sector
The Embassy of Israel has been conducting various workshops and trainings in the health sector and assisting doctors, nurses and community health workers in updating their knowledge with new but already proven techniques.
Giving continuity to this trend, the Embassy of Israel organized the visit to Nepal of “Puppeteers without Borders” which facilitated workshops on Health education from 10-23 September 2014. The workshops took place at various organizations working with children, youth and women migrant workers (SETO GURANS, POURAKHI, Dhulikhel hospital, SAMUDAYIK SARATHI, Rotary Club, Gyan Jyoti Mahila School and Tevel B'zedek.)
Educators in the community such as teachers, nurses, social workers, therapists and village health teams participated in the workshop which provided information on basic medical and health in connection with puppetry demonstrations. The participants were encouraged to collaborate with colleagues and develop communicative scenarios related to medical information using simple puppets and have an up-close experience with their community.
Editor's Note:
Having basic knowledge and information about medicine is essential to prevent many diseases. Introduction of puppets to convey medical education has become a powerful tool in treating some diseases. To make it more communicative, playful and informative 'Puppeteers without Borders' have developed an approach which involves using Puppets for the training.
Dr. Avigail Mayani, an Israeli Obstetric Gynecologist, dedicated to the idea of educating communities on how they can help themselves. She has seen the success of the village health team courses in Uganda in Africa where community members have treated medical cases and promoted health education.
Ms. Nofar Ben Arye is an art and ecology teacher, an artist and an instructor of environmental sustainability. She has been teaching puppetry to art and theater students, to teachers, social workers, nurses, therapists and children for many years. She is continuing to create and facilitate educational programs in many countries.