Goal is to educate youngsters on prevention, care
A Seventh-day Adventist student in the Brazilian state of Bahia is helping youngsters learn about the novel coronavirus and related COVID-19 infection—and most important, how to avoid catching or spreading the disease.
Miralva Santos, a Seventh-day Adventist Church member in Salvador, Bahia’s capital, is a publicity and advertising student who’s also an intern at the state’s regional nursing center’s communications department.
Santos shared her idea for a children’s booklet with the group’s vice president, who gave the go-ahead. “Don’t Give A Ride to the Corona” is now available in print and online.
“Children are curious, and also need access to information,” Santos said. With approval for the idea, Santos asked illustrator and designer Ítalo Isaias, a college friend, to help. They carried out the project, with support from the nursing council.
With accessible and easily understood language, the booklet features two characters, Tico and nurse Lulu, who teach children how to wash their hands with soap and water, use a cloth to cover their mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, wearing masks, avoid agglomerations, in addition to providing guidance on what the virus is and what it causes in the human body.
It also illustrations for children to color and learn even more about Covid-19. The booklet is free to use and is available to schools, churches, and other organizations.
“Participating in this project made me very happy and moved because when we think of the characters, we think of bringing what is close to us,” said Ítalo Isaías, also commenting on the concern with racial representation while also addressing the issue of prevention.
“Tico, for example, was inspired by my nephew. I wanted him to see himself because whenever I ask him what color he is, he replies that it is brown and that shows me that the issue of racism has not yet reached him,” Isaías said. “As for nurse Lourdes, the name was suggested by Miralva and we decided to affectionately call Lulu. It is a tribute to the professionals who are on the front lines fighting Covid-19, including those who have been infected,” he added.
The booklet brought results even before it was produced. According to Miralva, a pediatric nurse at a children's hospital in Salvador learned about the project and was wanted to get involved. Children hospitalized during the pandemic were unable to receive the volunteers who help with fun activities; the booklet would help them now, she said. The news motivated the Council to produce a print run of booklets for the children.
“As an Adventist student, I like to think about ‘going where God tells me to go,’” Santos said. “At this moment in time, it is my daily challenge to show that being a Christian is much more than going to church or not working on Saturdays. It means paying attention to the concerns of people in all walks of life, and showing how Jesus would respond,” she added.
This article was originally published on the South American Division’s Portuguese news site