By Style Reporter
The Zimbabwe Red Cross Society (ZRCS) yesterday joined the rest of the world in commemorating World First Aid Day.
ZRCS is a major first aid training service provider in the country, offering training courses in health and care including basic first aid, Basic Industrial First Aid, Basic Mining First Aid, Disaster Risk Management and First Aid in Schools Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation, Advanced First Aid, Basic First Aid, First Aid for First Responders, Community-based Health Care, Nurse Aide, Junior First Aid as well as Psychological First Aid.
This year’s commemorations are held under the theme #Be a hero at school and in your community, which revolves around preventive and life-saving skills for a safe school day, placing the children at the core of this first aid awareness day.
First aid is an integral part of educational curricula, starting in kindergarten and continuing in primary and secondary schools, hence the inclusion of first aid in schools enables children and young people to learn and give first aid as a key strategy to achieving a safer environment and resilience for all citizens.
“While the marketplace has changed, our belief that performing first aid is an act of humanity — not just a series of techniques — has not,” said ZRCS secretary general Elias Hwenga.
“In line with this year’s commemorations, as ZRCS we strongly believe that the inclusion of first aid in the curriculum should promote contextually relevant educational programmes according to children’s intellectual, social and behavioural abilities.
“Programmes should include a broad range of helping behaviours for example providing comfort, managing emotions, accessing help and keeping safe.
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“They should also help children develop knowledge and skills in a broad range of topics including bleeding, burns, choking, diarrhoea, seizures, fever, injuries to bones, muscles or joints, poisoning, resuscitation, skin wounds and stings and bites.”
Hwenga said ZRCS was committed to scaling up its first aid programmes to make every community across the country able to prepare with a high-quality approach to face disasters but also daily risks.
The commemorations were held at Red Cross Independent College where pupils were engaged in a mock first aid training session.
ZRCS operations director Tapiwa Chadoka encouraged communities to take responsibility and train first aid.
