First aid could make difference

WHEN correct first-aid measures are applied within minutes of a medical emergency at home, at work or on the road, it could mean the difference between life and death, says the International SOS (ISOS).

For this reason, ISOS, along with Aid for Aids and the Michelle McLean Children’s Trust (MMCT) has embarked on a campaign to educate Namibians on the correct way to administer first aid. A basic one-day first-aid course costs N$200 and will enable a trainee to deal with safety and prevention, CPR, fractures, choking, heart attacks, wounds and bleeding.After completion of the course, a certificate of competence is issued to trainees.The purpose of the First Aid Development Programme (FADP) is to give organisations and individuals who do not have the financial means the opportunity to attend such a first-aid course and to provide delegates with the skills to safely apply first aid in their community.The FADP will focus on children (providing training to teachers, day-care centres and foster homes), HIV-AIDS (homes affected by HIV, caretakers and assistance centres) and sport (for events, schools and clubs).MMCT and Coca-Cola have already provided financial assistance, enabling ISOS to train 93 teachers.A further 67 teachers will be trained with the support of these two sponsors.ISOS appeals to other companies to sponsor more trainees.Eighty-one delegates from SOS Children Village, CLASH, The Ark and the Children Education Centre have been identified together with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, and will be trained in the immediate future.In addition, 19 delegates from the Oshikoto, Omusati, Kunene, Karas, and Otjozondjupa regions have also been identified.For further information, contact ISOS at (061) 23 1236.A basic one-day first-aid course costs N$200 and will enable a trainee to deal with safety and prevention, CPR, fractures, choking, heart attacks, wounds and bleeding.After completion of the course, a certificate of competence is issued to trainees.The purpose of the First Aid Development Programme (FADP) is to give organisations and individuals who do not have the financial means the opportunity to attend such a first-aid course and to provide delegates with the skills to safely apply first aid in their community.The FADP will focus on children (providing training to teachers, day-care centres and foster homes), HIV-AIDS (homes affected by HIV, caretakers and assistance centres) and sport (for events, schools and clubs).MMCT and Coca-Cola have already provided financial assistance, enabling ISOS to train 93 teachers.A further 67 teachers will be trained with the support of these two sponsors.ISOS appeals to other companies to sponsor more trainees.Eighty-one delegates from SOS Children Village, CLASH, The Ark and the Children Education Centre have been identified together with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, and will be trained in the immediate future.In addition, 19 delegates from the Oshikoto, Omusati, Kunene, Karas, and Otjozondjupa regions have also been identified.For further information, contact ISOS at (061) 23 1236.