Over three years, the project is set to benefit around 77,000 children aged 6 to 18 years old in four regions across Liberia…

Dubai Cares, part of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, has announced plans for a three-year school health program in Liberia that will tackle deworming and eye health needs for school-aged children in one of the least developed countries in the world.

Over the three years, the Dhs7,347,000 project is set to benefit around 77,000 children aged 6 to 18 years old in four regions across Liberia.

In the aftermath of an Ebola outbreak in Liberia, the integrated school health system seeks to support the children of Liberia by providing basic vision screening and deworming, as well as facilitating the referral and treatment process for children identified with visual impairment.

As part of the Dubai Cares program, 2,400 teachers from 1,200 schools, community volunteers and District Education officers will be trained to carry out the deworming and vision screening. In addition, the program will train four Optometric Technicians – one per region – and provide a minimum of 3,000 pairs of high-quality eyeglasses to children and teachers identified with visual impairment.

“Liberia’s economy is highly vulnerable to external shocks and natural disasters, and the recent Ebola outbreak has put an enormous strain on the country’s health and education systems. With this new program, Dubai Cares is reaching out to vulnerable children in the most affected areas, and we are placing schools at the center of the strategy to deworm children and provide a healthy environment for education,” commented Annina Mattson of Dubai Cares.

“Over a period of three years, this program will positively contribute towards the delivery of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets such as universal primary and secondary education, gender equality and inclusion, as well as universal health coverage,” she concluded on the importance of the project.

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Images: Dubai Media Office