Public Health Programme Implementation Manual and Training Protocol: Training Manual for Health and Disaster Preparedness in Rural China

Under the support of WZQCF and the generous sponsorship from Lee Hysan Foundation, CCOUC published the traditional Chinese version of Training Manual for Health and Disaster Preparedness in Rural China in April 2015. It will be followed by a simplified Chinese version and an English version in June and December 2015, respectively.

CCOUC recognises that far too many one-off on-site knowledge transfer projects fail to deliver results in the long run, and the knowledge in question cannot be retained in the rural communities after the volunteers have left. In addition to external constraints, this is often due to a lack of theoretical understanding among volunteers. For student volunteers, especially those who have no or limited public health training, it is of paramount importance that they be equipped with adequate knowledge and skills so that they are able to plan, implement, and evaluate a sustainable field intervention, to approach issues critically, and to execute a well thought-out programme.

Based on public health theories and illustrated by relevant examples, this manual introduces how health and disaster preparedness education programmes could be organized in remote rural China, which could become useful reference materials for organizers and volunteers of rural development projects. The manual is a summary of experience and insights gained from CCOUC Ethnic Minority Health Project, wherein CCOUC has identified five major health and disaster-related risks in rural communities. These include waste management, indoor environment, water and hygiene, health maintaining habits, and disaster risk literacy. Prevalent and emerging risks identified and relevant cost-effective mitigation procedures are detailed and discussed in the manual. Different intervention models and activities are also introduced for application in typical scenarios.

By publishing this manual, CCOUC aims at:

- Arousing volunteers’ awareness of the health and disaster preparedness issues common among rural communities in China;

- Providing volunteers and organizers of rural projects with highly practical guidelines for implementation of health and disaster preparedness programmes;

- Providing examples and activity recommendations for on-site public health activities;

- Promoting multidisciplinary collaborations and exchanges; and

- Raising the levels of health and disaster preparedness in rural China.

The electronic version of this manual is now available here:
http://ccouc.org/_asset/file/public-health-manual-2015v1-chi-final.pdf