Dolen education staff were on the world stage at a webinar organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) webinar showing how innovative methods were used in Lesotho to engage learners on mental health and psychosocial well-being globally during the pandemic. Other presentations were from India, France and Médecins Sans Frontières.
Wales based Education Officer, Sharon Flint with Lesotho based Amelia Motsitsi-Msiza, explained how learners were taught ways of coping in the pandemic using the ISAAC book ‘My Hero is You’. The book which had been developed by children for children, included clear information on hand washing and physical distancing, a sense of agency and a way to help children cope with some of the realities of the pandemic, such as missing friends, staying at home and losing relatives.
Amelia worked with a Lesotho based production company, Vision Street to produce an audio narration and radio slots. Children could phone in to the radio station and ask questions. This was followed up with a series of ‘Actions for Heroes’ programmes.
In addition to this, teachers in Lesotho attended a ‘Well-being Conference’ showing how they could support learners returning to school after the shut down. This led to weekly check-ins or ‘Well-being Wednesdays’, where teachers shared their experiences and those of their learners.
Dolen Director, Veronica German said, “For a small charity like Dolen Cymru Lesotho to be recognised by the WHO for the work that we are doing is fantastic. The lockdown has had many downsides, but pushing us into new and innovative ways of working has definitely been a positive outcome.”
The Dolen presentation can be seen after 27 minutes in this YouTube video of the event.
