My Healthy Friends

My Healthy Friends Cover
Why

Playful COVID-19 Prevention and Pandemic Control for Children  

“My Healthy Friends” provides a range of easy-to-understand and easy-to-use educational materials for children to internalise how to prevent the coronavirus from spreading. “My Healthy Friends” motivates learners to look out for each other in order to prevent the spreading of the coronavirus. Using a playful learning approach, “My Healthy Friends” mobilises collective action, triggers behaviour change and improves school hygiene practices.

The “My Healthy Friends” toolkit is based on 4 comic storylines, each dealing with a key behaviour to stop the virus: 

  1. Keep your distance to others whenever possible  
  2. If you have to sneeze or cough, do it in your elbow
  3. Wash your hands with soap as often as possible   
  4. Cover your mouth and nose with a face mask 

There are 4 Comic Posters, 4 sets of comic Single Cards with 35 pictures, a Memory Game, as well as 35 sheets of paper with cut-out puppets for a Puppet Theatre.

With the generous support of the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ) and Knorr Bremse Global Care, “My Healthy Friends” is currently being implemented in South Sudan, in cooperation with Malteser International. The overall goal is to create a safe learning environment at 23 schools in South Sudan during times of COVID-19. The learning materials will also be disseminated through the Education and WASH Clusters and local education authorities in a further 300 schools. In the long term, “My Healthy Friends” will be used for general infection control.

By taking care of each other, we can protect not only ourselves, but our friends too. Together, we can be Healthy Friends.

Hints

Who are the target groups of “My Healthy Friends”?

“My Healthy Friends” was developed for preschool and primary school children. The materials may also be interesting for adolescents, who become multipliers and carry the messages home. It is not unlikely that many adults will also enjoy the games. 

In which contexts can “My Healthy Friends” be used?

The materials are applicable within school contexts and beyond. They can be applied while working with children affected in emergency contexts, in community health clubs, hygiene promotion trainings and the like. “My Healthy Friends” can be integrated into school curricula, other WASH in school programs, or any health and hygiene activities with children.