“The eliminate malaria, to educate people”
Kanchanaburi province, Thailand is a province where malaria continues to plague the local people who already have to overcome great odds for day to day survival. The ARC field team have been working in the area and helping in any way to eradicate malaria for over decades now.
“To look after my team for the day-to-day running projects, to make sure that the people in the communities whether they are Thai and non-Thai receiving equal health services is my responsibility…I will try to do everything in my power to make sure that they are receiving what I have received in my health services too”.
Education is crucial
Educating people in small communities is difficult at best. Travelling from village to village is very time consuming and often comes with its own set of problems. “People can be educated what to do and how to do the best, to change of their belief from the traditional believes we need to work on that harder”, he says.
Down to Sai-Yok district, Kanchanaburi province is where at one of malaria implementing sites under ARC-Kanchanaburi in Thailand. Prasert and his team are providing health education session to their villagers. Although the social media and technology reach to some villages, but to be there and provide the education directly to the villagers is the most crucial and had the most impact according to Prasert. “…for some reasons people still think that if you drink water with the mosquito’s larva in it you will get malaria, this example gives me more reason to give them education.. With all the misconceptions and traditional beliefs, education is crucial and is important tool to fight against malaria” said Prasert.
Prasert and his team providing health education to the community –- Bong-Ti Village, Sai-Yok, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”2″ gal_title=”Field Story: Prasert Jantakaew, Field Supervisor-ARC Migrant Program”]
