End of Week 2 at the VHW Course

The students on the Village Health Worker (VHW) training course are settling into their routine now. I think some of them wondered what on earth they had signed up for originally, as some of them have done very little study in their life-times. They have given us feedback that the information they are receiving is very useful and interesting though. 

We got our photo in the Daily Post a few days after our opening ceremony. That's me in the back row a bit to the right of centre (with the pale face!).

I have been busy in the back office preparing resources for use in class and helping with marking etc. Here is one of the activities we got them to do - deciding which dimension of health various things belong in. There was Physical and Emotional as well as those shown in this photo. Someone has to print and cut up all the little pieces of paper and draw up the flip-charts while Judy and Nicola are in class teaching.

 Role plays are also used. Most were pretty shy at first, but they are getting into it more now. One woman is a very good actress and her portrayals have had the whole class in fits of laughter!

 On Thursday we started on the Anatomy and Physiology module, and we took the class down to the School of Nursing at the hospital (only 5 minutes walk from Korvan) where they have a life-size skeleton.  Nicola and Judy had to give him a bit of TLC to get his head, oops, skull to stay up - he is a bit the worse for wear and has cellotape holding some of his bones together. Hope that isn't what they use on live patients 😬.

One of the lecture rooms at the Nursing school. Our students all wore their Korvan shirts which they are required to do for any field trips - don't they look smart.

Elder Kim originally from Korea, then New Zealand, now living in Vanuatu, is their lecturer for this module. He helped build Korvan and has done lots of good work in the area of health and education. He is very knowledgeable on this subject and very interesting and entertaining to listen to. The only problem is that he is used to teaching at a much higher level than the VHW course, so he is trying to fit in way too much detail.

Everyone loves a skeleton,

including me 😆.