WHO in Armenia has launched the first Health Literacy Corner in Yerevan, with financial support from the European Union (EU) and in coordination with the Yerevan Municipality. The Health Literacy Corner is located at the city’s No. 55 school and will serve as a resource centre, providing a wide range of WHO materials and tools to enhance children’s knowledge about health-related topics. More than 1300 students will benefit from the centre, and plans are underway to establish more health literacy centres in Yerevan, in line with the Healthy City initiative that promotes health awareness and education.
Commenting on the initiative, the Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador, H.E. Mrs Andrea Wiktorin, said, “In cooperation with WHO, the EU is supporting multilevel health education in Armenia, providing a variety of capacity-building opportunities for young people. Empowering them to act on health matters and become agents of change is crucial for a positive impact both on people’s lives and on communities”.
From informative brochures to Immune Patrol, an interactive game-based learning platform, the resource centre is designed to foster understanding and encourage healthy lifestyles. It also serves as a training hub for educators, and WHO will continue to enhance their skills and expertise, particularly in the field of infection prevention behaviour. Additionally, the Health Literacy Corner has been equipped with laptops to ensure continuous and seamless education, both in person and via distance learning. This will enable educators to be better prepared and effectively disseminate accurate health information to parents and students.
Dr Marthe Everard, Special Representative of the WHO Regional Director to Armenia, said, “All students and educators should have access to quality health information. We hope that the health literacy corners will contribute to the country’s efforts, providing access to information on health and well-being, including immunization.”
The initiative is part of an EU-funded project titled “Vaccination saves lives: supporting the deployment of COVID-19 vaccines and strengthening routine vaccination systems in the Eastern Partnership”. Within the framework of the project, WHO Armenia has been partnering with the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports in building health literacy and awareness related to vaccine-preventable diseases among school principals, teachers and students in Armenia. Since 2021, WHO has provided training for over 2000 teachers across the country and piloted an online module on the immune system and immunization in several primary schools.
https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/01-08-2023-who-and-eu-launch-health-literacy-corner-to-improve-health-education-in-armenia