Q
Olivia, Mia and Chelsea-Rae
from Whangaparaoa College have asked about whether aloe vera
grows in the highlands.
A
Our
expert Elaine has given
us scientific material that tells us that traditionally aloe
vera has been used in ointments and creams to assist the healing
of wounds, burn, eczema and psoriasis (a disease which affects
the skin and joints). If there is antibacterial action it is
slight.
Q
I (Imran
from Alfriston College) would like to know they would use for
toilet paper? I had a thought of using leaves and scrunching
them up for moisture to make feel softer when they wipe their
bottoms.
A
Excellent
question. The kids in the Eastern highlands actually mainly
use pages from old exercise books. For a last resort they do
use leaves (which they also use to clean the toilets). When
I was visiting the schools, I didn't notice a lot of trees close
to the loos with reasonable sized leaves, so that could be a
problem. However, there is a lot of grass in the highlands.
That's also what is used to thatch roofs.
Q
Hello, I
would like to know what is the most common disease kids die
from in Papua New Guinea?
A
The MJA,
The Medical Journal of Australia (2002) says:
Reports
on child health in rural areas of Papua New Guinea indicate
a dominance of infectious diseases. The major infectious diseases
causing child mortality in PNG include pneumonia, measles,
meningitis, malaria and neonatal sepsis.
(http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/178_01_060103/nar10150_fm.html)
Q
Hello, I
would like to ask, would the ideas from the kids that have created
a system to clean hands go to the people in countries that don't
have enough clean water, or a way to dispenser water?
A
The nice
thing about doing stuff online is that everyone with access
to a computer can see it. The people in the organisation in
Papua New Guinea (ATprojects) that is putting toilets into schools
will also see the site. Last year, some of the student's models
were chosen to feature (as being appropriate and affordable
for schools) in the special Wara Bilong Life edition of Atnius,
the Tok Pisin (local language) monthly newsletter which is distributed
widely in the Eastern Highlands. Hopefully, the same will happen
this year.
Now that
you have asked this question, I will see if I can get the Wara
Bilong Life site linked to some international organisation's
sites.
Q
Could you
tell me some different types of tippy taps not involving the
milk bottle technique?
A
I
know in Africa gourds are/were used, but plastic bottles are
used because they are found everywhere and can be cleaned easily.
Instructions on how to make a tippy taps can be found at these
two sites:
http://www.cdc.gov/safewater/publications_pages/tippy-tap.pdf
http://www.phrplus.org/Pubs/TzIDSRENG_TippyTap.pdf
Q
Ella, Ida,
Juliana, Peony and Ashleigh from Whangaparaoa College ask how
do they dry their hands in Papua New Guinea?
A
The kids
don't really dry their hands with anything - just use fresh
air!
Q
Ella
etc
also asks if there is something anti-bacteria they could add
to the soap they are making themselves?
A
Elaine
answers that NZ
Manuka oil or Australian Tea tree oil both have anti microbial
properties and are both easily sourced from health food shops
and info searched on the net.
There is
more information about this in last year's Q & A here.
Q
Are there
any other ways of creating disease free countries?
A
No doubt
there are many, but the easiest, cheapest & most efficient
way to stop the spread of disease is to wash your hands after
going to the toilet.
Q
The
y ear 7 and 8 extension class at Bailey Road school
ask whether handwashing is widely practiced in the highlands?
Ie: what percentage of people (roughly) would do it regularly?
A
In rural
areas of the Highlands the percentage of people practicing hand
washing after using a toilet is 'roughly' zero!
But if you
can image working in a small coffee plantation with your Mum
and Dad and the toilet is under a nearby bush and the nearest
river is about 1km away. Would you walk the 2km round trip to
wash your hands?
However,
the good news is that with the support of Oxfam [NZ] we are
changing the situation in many of our rural schools, and slowly
but surely seeing real behaviour change.
After monitoring
in four of our target schools indicates that an average of 91.2%
of girls and 80% of boys are using the ATloo [our low-cost VIP
(Ventilation Improved) toilet] during lesson times. In many
schools, older dirty floor toilets have now been replaced with
ATloos and students have no problems using them as the bush
areas surrounding the schools are rarely used. The results show
that if good toilets are available students will use them.
But despite
a recent focus on hand washing in hygiene workshops, our survey
indicates that only 33.7% of the girls and 24.2% of boys at
the four target schools washed their hands after using the toilet.
I am sure that if we continue to promote hand washing these
percentages will increase.
And now
I have a question … When I was at school [many years ago]
I do not remember always washing my hands after going to the
toilet, I know getting to the football was always more important!
So what about you New Zealand kids, and you all hand washing
angels?
Regards
Steve
Layton, MBE
So the REAL
question remains - how do we get the remaining 66.3% of the
girls and 75.8% of boys washing their hands after using the
toilet? What sort of well built mechanism that dispenses water
could we put close to the toilets to remind/get the students
to wash their hands? Equally important - how can we encourage
the PNG students that their health will improve if they do wash
their hands after going to the toilet?
Steve has
made a very good point. Are YOU all hand washing angels? Do
you and everybody in your school wash their hands after going
to the toilet? And, of course by now you know that hand washing,
when done correctly, is the single most effective way to prevent
the spread of communicable diseases.
Q
Juliana
asks whether people in Papua New Guinea grow basil or guava?
A
I
am pretty sure there is guava but doubt where there is basil
(although it would certainly grow in that climate).
Q
This is Ellie
and Hannah from G.E.I.S and we were wondering if
we could
ask you another question. What natural resources is there in
Papua New Guinea to kill germs to purify the water, that is
easy to find?
A
A good question.
NZ Manuka oil or Australian Tea tree oil both have anti microbial
proerties. The water collected from roofs should already be
clean, otherwise you need to boil the water collected from rivers.
Q
Hello Monika
this is Joshua from geis.
I was wondering in Papua New Guinea how do they flush the toilet?
A
They use
long drop type toilets in Papua New Guinea i.e. a latrine which
is a big hole in the ground with a concrete pad on top with
a hole and a toilet seat on top of that. When the hole gets
full, they move the concrete pad to another hole they have dug.
They don't need to flush them and there is not enough water
anyway. They used to have the same in New Zealand once too!
Q
Siobhan
asks: I just wanted to know if they have any plants that contain
saponin which is an ingredient used in soap, that easily accessible
by the Papua New Guinea people? I have tried looking it up but
cant find anything.
A
Elaine,
our plant expert has sent a paper containing the following information:
Various
parts of Derris elliptica (Tuba Root, Rotenone) Derris indica
(Pongam, Pongame oiltree, Karum tree) and Derris trifoliata
on fractionation with a number of solvents (petrol, dichloromethane,
ethyl acetate, butanol and methanol) gave fractions which demonstrated
a varied level of broad spectrum antibacterial activity. Good
activity was exhibited by the methanol fractions of the leaves
and root heart-wood, petrol, butanol and methanol fractions
of the root bark of D. indica and petrol and ethyl acetate fractions
of D. trifoliata. None of the plants showed antifungal activity.
Translated,
I believe this means that some species of plants (the leaves
and roots) found in PNG contain saponin produced something that
has broad-spectrum antibacterial activity. Mixing the leaves
and roots with solvents improves the activity.
The Internet
also tells me that Rotenone is a poison that kills a wide range
of creatures from insects to earthworms and fish. Derris trifoliata
and another species, D. elliptica, are used to produce rotenone
in commercial quantities as an insecticide. Locals use crushed
leaves to stun or kill fish and shrimp which are then easily
collected. This method of fishing, however, is prohibited in
many areas because it is so destructive. Derris is also one
of the components of poison-arrow.
Q
Do they have
dew in the mornings on the ground all year round? Cameron LPS
A
Hi Camerson.
Yes, they do.
Q
Do they have
springs full of a good amount of water all year round? Reuben
LPS
A
Where the
sanitation project is situated in the Eastern highlands, there
are no
springs. There are rivers but they are often some distance from
the schools and villages.
Q
Do they have
clingfilm? Elliott LPS
A
Hi Elliott.
No clingfilm. The people in the highlands couldn't really afford
it and they would have to travel into a town like Goroka to
buy it anyway. Most families only buy salt, sugar and second
hand clothing from shops. Most of the rest they need they grow
or make themselves from natural materials.
Q
Do they have
lakes in the highlands? Declan
LPS
A
Hi Declan.
There are no lakes that I know of near the schools in the Eastern
highlands.
