24-22
How to give the Special Drink
Start giving the
drink as soon as
diarrhea begins.
An adult should
drink at least 2 glasses
of Special Drink after
each watery stool.
ADULT
2
glasses
each
stool
A child should drink at
east 1 glass of Special Drink
after each watery stool.
CHILD
1
If the child vomits the
drink, give him more. A little
glasses
each
stool
will stay in him. Give sips
every 2 or 3 minutes. If the child does not want to
drink, gently insist that he do so.
Keep giving the drink every 2 or 3 minutes, day
and night, until the child pees normally (every 2
or 3 hours). Older children and their parents can
take turns giving the drink all through the night.
A child with diarrhea should eat as soon as he
can.
Many people still believe that persons with
diarrhea should not eat. This is a big mistake. A
sick person must eat well in order to overcome the
sickness. A child with diarrhea should eat as soon as
he is able.
To help children understand why this is
important, ask if any of the children has ever
missed a meal or spent a day without food. How
did they feel? Weak? This way, the children can
realize that a child with diarrhea needs food in
order to be strong enough to fight off the illness.
Another game: Ask children to invent ways to
make their own measuring spoons out of old bottle
caps, juice cans, or whatever. Make sure the finished
spoons hold about the correct amounts. You can
give prizes for the most accurate spoon, the simplest
spoon, etc.
Skits, puppets, role playing:
Children can use puppets
or role playing to act out
what to do when a younger
child has diarrhea. They
can cut a large mouth
in a ‘gourd baby’, and
actually give it Special
Drink and food.
TEACHING OTHERS
After the children have learned about diarrhea
and dehydration, they can help teach others.
Here are a few possibilities:
• Children can put on demonstrations, plays, or
puppet shows to convince people that giving
liquids and Special Drink can save children’s
lives.
• They can discuss what they learn with their
parents, and help prepare Special Drink when
the baby has diarrhea.
• School children who took part in this activity
can teach children who do not go to school
because they have to care for younger brothers
and sisters.
• Children from older grades can help teach
these ideas to children in the younger grades.
When a breast-feeding baby
gets diarrhea. KEEP GIVING
BREAST MILK. BUT GIVE
SPECIAL DRINK. TOO.
Helping to make learning more real
A game: Give the children the plastic spoon, salt,
sugar, and water. Do not tell them how much to use.
See if they can mix the drink correctly by following
the instructions on the spoon. It is important that
they learn to make the drink correctly.
FINDING OUT HOW WELL THE ACTIVITY
WORKED
The group can make counts each month (or
after 6 months or a year) to find out:
• How many children (or their mothers) have
made the Special Drink for persons with
diarrhea?
• How many children have had diarrhea?
• How many (if any) died?
Ask any child who has prepared the Special
Drink for a brother or sister with diarrhea to tell
his story at school. He can explain how he (or
his mother) made the Drink and used it, any
problems he had, and if it seemed to help.