When I see people come to our awareness raising sessions more than once, it means that they care about our work. It means that the message we spread is very important and they are using it in the right way.
Heba Ashkar, is a twenty-year old Lebanese woman who lives in Bourj el-Barajneh. She is in her second year of linguistic engineering at University. She is also a volunteer with the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) in her area.
“I was coming back home from my university, and I saw a group doing home visiting sessions. I asked and was told that this center was the Haifa Hospital. I think it’s very important for at least one person in the house to know some first aid, because you never know when emergencies might happen. So you’ve take charge and do what matters,” she explains.
Through the PRCS, Heba visits informal settlements where Syrian refugees live. She describes the poor living conditions and how important it is to raise awareness on hygiene basics so as to diminish the prevalence of avoidable diseases in the settlements.
Heba adds: “I give sessions to kids about hygiene, how to clean their hands the right way, how to brush their teeth the right way, and the importance of personal hygiene. As a team, we go together to training, we train for first aid. We deliver sessions in houses. We work together to spread information.”
Heba’s training sessions target Syrians, Palestinians and Lebanese. She stresses the importance of adapting to the different levels of awareness, prioritising respect for each of the participants.
“Respect is our priority in each session, so everyone feels comfortable, and no one feels like an outcast. Our sessions are mixed. It’s general information that each human being should know. It doesn’t differ with the person’s nationality, anyone can join,” she concludes.