DRASA ADMIN

DRASA ADMIN

  • Joined: October 16, 2025
  • Articles: 210

Lagos to Osun: Our School Health Program Grows

aving kick started the second phase of our Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) School Health Project where we scaled our activities to 30 schools in Osun and Lagos states, the Lagos team traveled to spend a week with our colleagues and students who are members of our Health and Hygiene Clubs (called DRASA Ambassadors) in Osun state. Members of the Supervisory Team with one Youth Trainer at Ooni’s Girls High School, Ile-Ife (L-R: Ademola Olayinka, Glorious Erhuanga, Praise Adeyemo, Temitayo Lawal, Oluwatosin Adedeji) Supervisory Team with Administrative Officials of Osogbo Grammar School The visit, which was held from 15th to 18th March, was to observe activities of our Youth Trainers in their schools and to acquaint ourselves with school management and district authorities. The schools visited include: Oduduwa College, Ooni’s Girls High School, and St. David’s Grammar School in Ile-Ife as well as Osogbo Grammar School in Osogbo. Group photograph of DRASA Ambassadors at St. David’s Grammar School, Ile-Ife with Supervisory Team and Focal Persons Former DRASA Ambassador Glorious (2018-2019) engaged in a conversation with new DRASA Ambassadors at Ataoja School of Science, Osogbo during their bi-weekly Health & Hygiene Club meeting Supervisory Team and VP, Oduduwa College with new Ambassadors of the Health & Hygiene Club in the School A former DRASA Ambassador from our 2018-2019 program, Glorious Erhuanga, joined us on the trip. Glorious was in her second year of secondary school when she joined our Health and Hygiene Club and she is now an undergraduate student at the University of Lagos studying English. Glorious speaking to the DRASA Ambassadors at St. David’s Grammar School, Ile-Ife She spoke to our new Ambassadors to share her experience with DRASA and what she has done with what she learned from our Health and Hygiene Club in her school. She also highlighted the impact and benefits of […]

US CDC and ICAN Visit Nigeria: Fostering the Partnership Spirit for Infection Prevention and Control

When it comes to infection prevention and control (IPC), there is no “them”. There is only “us”. We all are only as strong as our weakest link. As such, to strengthen infection prevention and control (IPC) activities in Nigeria, we had an activity-filled week from 21st – 25th February 2022, with a team from the US CDC Atlanta and Infection Control Africa Network (ICAN) South Africa visiting us in Lagos, Nigeria. The activities began with a 2-day workshop for the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC’s) IPC Orange Network: a network of health facilities around the country that are becoming centers of excellence in infection control and patient safety; places that deliver quality care to everyone. NCDC Workshop We helped NCDC welcome 16 new facilities into the network, making 41 health facilities total in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Map showing how we are “Turning Nigeria Orange” by ensuring IPC is practiced across the country The workshop was an introduction for these new facilities to understand what is required from them as members of the Orange Network, how to establish Infection Prevention and Control programs in their health facilities, and the support they will be given along the way. One important part of the workshop was having participants from existing Orange Network facilities share perspectives and experiences on their IPC journeys so far. NCDC Orange Network Workshop Additionally, the representatives of each facility made presentations on the baseline IPC assessments they conducted in their facilities to showcase their current strengths and weaknesses. Participants also developed action implementation plans as well as monitoring and evaluation plans to ensure they were ready to return to their locations and begin the work of improving the quality of patient care and reducing the spread of infections. On the same day, […]

900 Students, 30 Schools, 15 New Youth Trainers: Scaling our School Health and Hygiene Program

“As you start to walk on the way, the way appears” –Rumi For us at DRASA, we believe that solving the challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) involves engaging a core part of Nigeria’s population: our young people. Their role in actualizing improvements in public health is proven if we want to successfully curb the increasing challenge of AMR. We can all hear the clock ticking as AMR remains a silent global health threat which requires immediate and sustainable action. If not, it is estimated that AMR has the potential to cause almost 10 million deaths and cost $100 trillion in economic losses globally by 2050. We are committed to supporting Nigeria’s National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance through targeted education and awareness activities for young people In 2018, we kicked off our Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) School Program. In collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) AMR Division, WHO Africa Regional Office and WHO Nigeria Country Office, we made significant progress. By 2019 we had developed 320 DRASA Youth Ambassadors,  secondary school students in 10 schools in Lagos state who we educated and worked with using a customized, evidence-based curriculum. Through bi-weekly Health and Hygiene Club meetings in each of their schools, we engaged these students as innovative Youth Ambassadors, simplified the concept of AMR, made it fun, and provided practical ways for Youth Ambassadors to contribute to the interactive, hands-on lessons developed by members of our team and subject matter experts. AMR School Program Manager, Dr. Praise Adeyemo We found that the students were more likely to take on healthy and hygienic habits when taught in simple terms and allowed to creatively express themselves as part of the learning process. This approach also encouraged them to pass it on to their siblings, fellow students, and community members. The impact of […]

Let’s Do More: Onboarding 13 Team Members to Boost Our Health Security Work in Nigeria

“Even the great get greater by doing more of it” –Colleen Wainwright t takes only about 36 hours for an infectious disease to spread through our borders. Nigeria is vulnerable to these health threats because of our tropical climate, high population density, and constant movement across borders. Preparing for the next outbreak or public health emergency involves securing our points of entry (our seaports, airports and ground crossings). This cannot be done in silos. Cross-sector and cross-border collaborations along with strong emergency management structures and systems are crucial to improving Nigeria’s health security. The Integrated Response for Public Health Emergencies in Nigeria [IRPHEN]+ Project is a project funded by the US Centres for Disease Control (US CDC) and implemented by Pro-Health International as its primary partner. Between the months of May to November 2021, we worked with PHI on the first phase of this project which was to work with key stakeholders at 10 points of entry (POEs) in 8 states around the country to develop public health emergency management systems. This involved developing Public Health Emergency Contingency Plans (PHECPs), testing those plans through simulation exercises, and establishing Public Health Emergency Management Teams (inter-agency teams working together and responsible for health security and the PHECPs) at each point of entry. Building on the successes and lessons we learned from the first phase of this project, the second phase, putting the PHECPs to use, required us to build more capacity to scale the project and add 3 new points of entry, making 13 locations total: To achieve success, we needed to train our existing Project Officers and add more capable hands to implement the second phase of this project as we expand. We held a 3-day residential onboarding and project inception meeting for our team (old and new team members), from the 2nd […]

A Spelling Bee Competition to Spread Awareness, Stop the Resistance: Antimicrobial Awareness Week

World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) is an annual event that takes place globally from the 18th – 24th of November to increase awareness of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) which is considered the “silent pandemic” spreading rapidly around the world. The goal of WAAW is to educate and encourage best practices among the general public, health workers, animal health professionals, farmers and policy makers to avoid the further emergence and spread of drug-resistant germs and infections. We chose Tuesday 23rd November, 2021 to host an inter-school spelling bee competition to commemorate this year’s WAAW. Our goal was to engage young people as key stakeholders in the fight against antimicrobial resistance and to increase awareness and understanding of antimicrobial awareness, as well as highlight the role each individual can play in this public health challenge. The competition was held in two categories (Junior and Senior) from 4 public schools in Lagos State and each school was represented by 13 students (5 contestants and 8 supporters), making a total of 52 student participants during the event. The competition featured some words from public health and medicine that were easy to spell and relatable for participants, as well as more difficult words which they learnt during the event, thereby creating an atmosphere filled with excitement and knowledge sharing for the students. The competition was filled with highlights including a tie breaker for the senior category to decide the 1st and 2nd runner up after a tie in the final round of the competition. Check out the recap video here: At the end of the spelling bee, we gave gifts to the students which included branded notebooks and certificates of participation, cash rewards and certificates of achievement for the top 3 contestants in each category (Junior and Secondary), and a plaque for the winning schools. Check […]

Wash Your Hands to Protect Your Future: Global Handwashing Day

Global Handwashing Day is an event that happens on the 15th of October every year to remind everyone about the most effective and simplest technique we can use to reduce or avoid the spread of germs: handwashing. Over the years, DRASA Health Trust has partnered with Ikeja Electric and Kleanmate to commemorate Global Handwashing Day, and we did it again in 2021! Our goal is to encourage people to make handwashing an everyday practice. Considering the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, handwashing cannot be overemphasized. Washing your hands is an important part of preventing the spread of COVID-19, but it will also prevent you from catching other diseases. Handwashing saves lives and protects your future. This year, we celebrated the day with 263 students from two schools in Okota, Lagos. We taught them the importance of handwashing and the proper way to wash their hands: using liquid soap and clean running water to wash for at least 40 seconds. At the end of our demonstration, questions were asked and gifts were given to participating students. Here’s a video recap of the day! Do you know how to wash your hands? If not, the following will guide you: Steps for handwashing The 6 areas to wash (can be done in any order)