16-15
A COMMUNITY NEWS SHEET OR ‘HEALTH BULLETIN’
Good communications between a
health worker or health team and the
community are important. Meetings
may be useful, but not everyone attends
them.
In places where many people can read
(even a little), a good way to improve
communications is to print news sheets
with information and announcements.
These news sheets need not be longer
than a page or two, and could be
produced every month or so.
Invite people in your village to
contribute articles and announcements.
You might also ask the school teacher
to help. He could have the children write about different things they think are
important to health in their village. Then the children could choose one or two of
their better articles, work together to improve them, and contribute them to the
news sheet.
Perhaps some school children, mothers, young men, or other persons in town
can help you produce the news sheet. This would not only save time, but give you a
chance to work closely with members of the community.
THE SKILL OF CLEAR, SIMPLE WRITING
The skill of being able to write
simply and clearly, to organize ideas,
and to say strongly what you feel is one
of the most powerful tools a person can
have. But it is a skill the poor often lack.
Many village schools teach children to read,
and to copy letters and words, but do not
teach them to express clearly what they
want to say.
News sheets with simple, clear information
can help persons with little formal education
learn to read and write better (especially if
they help produce them).
Clear, simple writing is a skill that can
best be learned through practice. Working
on a community news sheet is a good way
to get such practice. It helps if someone
with more writing experience-perhaps the
school teacher—can review the articles
and make suggestions about clearness,
organization, and perhaps spelling. But
it is important that whoever gives these
suggestions let the writers themselves
decide upon and make the corrections.