One Ventolin, one life! First aid, an emergency for schools in Togo.

First aids in Togolese schools to save young lives and transform communities.

Mrs. Joana and Mr. Tamélokpo shared with us their painful experiences during which Mrs. Joana lost her child following an asthma attack in her school due to lack of Ventolin and Mr. Tamélokpo lost her child following a hemorrhage. after an accident on the school stairs. These two cases show the risks that students can run due to a lack of first aid knowledge in schools.

The school environment and its risks

“In less developed countries, school is an environment where safety is not given top priority and presents several shortcomings.”

The school environment is a place where the risk of accidents is frequent due to the interactions and carelessness of many children and adolescents through various physical activities. Certain places such as stairs, corridors, classrooms, school grounds, laboratories, toilets, sports areas are the places where accidents are most frequent in school environments. And even if we should consider the negligence of teachers in certain situations, these accidents and crises can be a source of mortality and sometimes disability which handicap certain talents in their promising futures. The educational context in Togo has been bereaved by tragic accidents in recent years. On September 27, 2023, for example, at the N'Gobo public primary school , in Blitta in the Central region, the collapse of a classroom wall cost the lives of two students, a six-year-old girl and a seven-year-old boy shortly after classes resumed. The teacher present was also seriously injured. (Source: RFI Afrique, published on: 09/30/2023 - 08:42) . Added to this example is the case of a young girl who almost died at the EPL ECHO DU SAVOIR after an untreated asthma attack. These cases cannot be avoided, it is important that security measures are taken.

First aid measures, what measure should be taken in schools?

The cases of Ms. Joana and Mr. Tamélokpo show us that it is very important for schools to have first aid skills by having first aid boxes. Both children could be saved if only the school had a ventolin and if only the bleeding had been stopped in time. The time interval between the occurrence of the accident or crisis and the arrival of the medical team can result in the loss of life. The most common cases requiring first aid in schools are often wounds, foreign bodies, burns, food poisoning, electrocution and animal bites in schools outside urban areas. As health crises and accidents are still frequent in establishments, it is necessary for teachers as well as students themselves to be trained in first aid techniques. “First aid training should be included in professional training programs for teachers,” said Ms. Joana.

Accidents and crises in schools are a major educational challenge. It is necessary to show the vital importance of the acquisition of first aid skills and first aid boxes by schools in the event of accidents and take measures to reduce the risks of death that they can cause.

Join us! Together we can create an educational world without brakes. Let's act now and save lives in schools.