Using play-based health education to help change lives!
Every child in Australia deserves the best possible start to life, but what’s known as the cheeky germ, and which affects people who live in remote communities at an alarming rate, means not everyone gets that same chance. Acute Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease is something that affects people living in the Northern Territory at an alarming rate.
So, what's the solution? How can we as a nation use prevention and education as a key tool to ensure children and families in remote communities have the best possible start to life?
In 2022, the Northern Territory recorded the highest rates of ARF diagnoses in Australia, with 117 cases per 100,000 people. The Northern Territory also had the highest number of ARF cases overall, with 1,426 cases. The Northern Territory also had the highest number of people with RHD in Australia as of December 31, 2022. (AIHW 2022)
The Healthy Living Program Team and The Heart Foundation travelled to Minjilang to help tackle this with the support of the community, while also providing a safe space for families living with this disease to have in-depth and honest conversations about their experiences. Using play-based learning games, students from Mamaruni School in Minjilang explored information and concepts about the body, healthy hearts, ARF and RHD and staying safe. They worked together to problem-solve and analyse the games and participated in facilitated yarning circles with Jacinta Hegarty from the Heart Foundation.
‘The activities were all very engaging and educational. The students loved them all and in line with our expectations, as always!’
- Tracy Brislane, Principal of Mamaruni
Maintaining good hygiene
Brush your teeth twice a day.
Wash your face with a clean cloth.
Remember to wash your hands, including after you go to the bathroom and when you’re cooking up a feed.
Wash your clothes in the machine so you can wear comfy, clean clothes.
Getting checked for skin sores
If you have a skin sore, make sure you go to the clinic so one of the nurses can check it and help it heal.
Remember to take your medicine
If you or your family member has AFR/RHD remember to take your medicine so you can feel better
If you’ve run out of medicine, you can always have a yarn with the staff at the clinic who will help you
Your tax-deductible donation helps Red Dust walk alongside communities to back programs shaped by culture, creativity and connection, strengthening the future of young people and their families across remote Northern Territory communities.
A big thank you goes to those supporting this program: