Without a doubt, healthcare was 2020’s hot topic. Coronavirus exposed gaping holes in healthcare systems globally, especially when it came to access for the impoverished. With the pandemic ravaging poor and marginalised communities like those we serve, it was imperative that ISF expanded our healthcare support to ensure our families were properly protected from the virus.

Most importantly, we knew that we had to keep providing free healthcare to our students during these trying times. So, despite intermittent school closures, our nurses’ offices remained open to all children in our programme with strict mask-wearing and hand-sanitising in place. Throughout 2020 there were 2,772 visits to our nurses’ office. The majority of these visits were for minor illnesses such as the flu, superficial wounds, headaches, fevers, and diarrhoea. Thankfully, we have not encountered any COVID-19 infections at our campuses.

ISF Students are taught proper hand-washing technique in nurses’ workshops

The pandemic, of course, came with challenges for our nurses. For instance, our vaccination schedule was suspended throughout last year. Usually, our nurses administer vaccinations against ten illnesses to all new children in our programme. Students that joined our Education Programme in 2020 were able to receive six of the usual ten vaccines: rabies, diphtheria pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, polio, measles, and rubella. this year. Dental, ear, and eye check ups were also  suspended until until further notice, though not before we provided these services to 455 students.

Working hand-in-hand with the Community Engagement Team, our nurses held health and hygiene workshops in surrounding communities to improve families’ understanding of the virus and combat local myths. “I feel my role as a nurse has become more important to help staff, students, and communities stay safe from COVID-19,”  says Sreyleakhena Sam, ISF Head Nurse. Our workshops stressed the importance of hygiene and mask-wearing, and taught families how to recognise key COVID-19 symptoms. 

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While day-to-day changes took some getting used to, Nurse Sam feels that students and parents are becoming better at practicing COVID-19 prevention measures. “We noticed some students weren’t wearing their face masks properly and stood too close to one another. So we made sure to keep on showing them how to wear masks correctly and reminded them of physical distancing when necessary.” Sam adds, “I believe that most ISF’s students and their families understand the preventative measures well now. I’m heartened when they come to us for further advice”.

Students’ wellbeing online was also taken into consideration, as  they began to study virtually, putting themselves at higher risk of exploitation or online abuse. In response, our team conducted training sessions on internet safety and online abuse. Other online sessions delivered during this period covered issues to do with sexual and reproductive health and rights, and how to avoid dengue fever. 

ISF nurses and Community Engagement team members are committed to providing health services and workshops for the foreseeable future. They are confident that the knowledge they share  will better equip families to protect themselves from COVID-19 and other transmissible illnesses in the future as we move through this global crisis.