Women traders trained in first aid
- Posted on 24/10/2024 14:27
- Film
- By abelozih@sante-education.tg
Extract from the article: In Togo, women traders play an essential role in the local economy. They are often the first to deal with emergency situations, such as injuries, fainting, falls or illness. Aware of this, the NGO Volontaires Internationaux pour la promotion de la Sa
In
Togo, women traders play an essential role in the local economy. They are often the first to deal with
emergency situations, such as injuries, fainting, falls or illness.
Aware of this, the
NGO Volontaires Internationaux pour la promotion de la Santé en Afrique (VISA),
in collaboration with Le Bracelet de Vie (LeBV), has trained women from the
association Solidarité pour l'Épanouissement des Femmes Commerçantes du Togo (SEFECTO)
in first aid techniques. The training, which took place at the Agbadahonou market,
was attended by around thirty women. The aim is to provide them with the
skills they need to react effectively in times of need, thereby helping to
create a safer environment.
As
professionals who are frequently confronted with a variety of dangers,
shopkeepers need to be prepared to deal with emergency circumstances. Mastering first
aid techniques can not only save lives, but also reduce anxiety and stress in
the face of incidents. For Dr Damien Ekoué-Kouvahey, Head of the NGO VISA, it is
therefore crucial to train women shopkeepers in first aid to ensure the safety
of customers and colleagues, and to boost their self-confidence.
«Today, there are
many emergency situations, including strokes, heart attacks or arrests,
haemorrhages, suffocation and fires in the markets, and many women traders fall victim to
them and die suddenly. This is due to a lack of quick first
aid measures. First aid training is essential to ensure the safety and
well-being of these women», said
Dr Damien Ekoué-Kouvahey.
The importance of
training
First
aid training offers a number of advantages. «Learning
about potential dangers enables women in the market to better prevent frequent
accidents, such as cuts, fires or falls.In the event of an accident, prompt
intervention can save lives.Trained women can intervene effectively while
waiting for help to arrive.They can feel that they can manage an emergency
situation. This boosts women's self-esteem and independence,
which could also optimise their leadership position within the community», said Dr Damien Ekoué-Kouvahey.
The
training covered a number of essential aspects: Situation Assessment, in which
participants must know how to observe and assess the condition of the injured
person, and Emergency Call, in which they must learn how to use the emergency
services and communicate the necessary information effectively.
Training women to
save lives
The
women were briefed on First Aid techniques: how to identify symptoms and
provide immediate assistance in the event of discomfort, learn how to treat and
manage wounds and burns, master cardiac massage, the Heimlich method in the
event of a foreign body in the airways, and then the Lateral Safety Position
(LSP), where an unconscious but breathing victim must be placed in the LSP to
avoid suffocation.The course combined theory and
practice.The participants learned through real-life scenarios, giving them
hands-on experience.The trainer used a mannequin to simulate emergency
situations, ensuring that each participant could practise the skills they had
learned.
«This is a good initiative that will help us save the lives of these women shopkeepers and customers, who are often victims of falls, hypoglycaemia and cardiac arrest.It's essential to improve our safety and responsiveness in an emergency. Being trained, we can act effectively in an emergency, while waiting for help to arrive», stressed Ms Aflimba Johnson Comlan Cataria, Executive Director of SEFECTO.
At the same time, the people in charge of the Bracelet
de Vie (LeBV) spoke to the women traders about the importance of this medical
tool. According to Dr Kouvahey, «this device is more than
just a simple accessory; this bracelet of life contains all the information
relating to everyone. In the event of an emergency, this bracelet
provides all the information on the patient's life, contacts, work history and
illnesses. It's a digital solution that improves patient health and
safety on a daily basis».
To
enhance market safety, it is crucial to devote resources to first aid training
for women traders. Providing them with the resources they need to manage
emergency situations not only promotes their personal well-being, but also that
of their community.
William O.