Solving the Jigger Problem

Hope for Youth - Uganda

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A big problem in many East African School communities is "jiggers" -- tungiasis, or sand flea that burrow into feet!! As school floor is just dirt, and many kids don't have shoes, this is ongoing health issue. The Hope for Youth school in Mukono District, Uganda was no exception.
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Three quarters of the children at the school were suffering from jigger infestation which was making their feet painful. Imagine walking long distances to school with painful, itcy sand fleas burrowed into the soles of your feet.

The children at Sweet's Corners School near Lyndhurst Ontario, when they learned of this problem, were determined to help. 
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The simple improvement of cementing the school room floors reduced the prevalence of jigger infestation in the students at Hope for Youth School by ten-fold. It's been rewarding to be able to provide help to these students in such a seemingly simple way.