JUBA, March 30 (Xinhua) -- In a classroom-turned-hygiene lab at Supiri Secondary School in Juba, the South Sudanese capital, Ruan Shuqin, a nurse from the 12th Chinese medical team, guided students through the World Health Organization's seven-step handwashing technique.
As political turmoil escalates in South Sudan, the Chinese medical team delivered a life-saving health education session at the school on Friday to help students combat heatstroke and cholera, twin crises that are severely disrupting education and health in the country.
"Many youths don't grasp the importance of hygiene. This could halt cholera in its tracks," said Ben Tombe Columbano, head teacher of Supiri Secondary School, as he watched students chant "between fingers, around thumbs" while scrubbing their hands.
The session, attended by over 40 senior students, unfolded against a backdrop of extreme adversity.
Schools nationwide were closed for three weeks in February due to a record-breaking heatwave. As weather conditions gradually improved, the government reopened schools on March 23, just ahead of the rainy season.
Meanwhile, the country has been struggling to contain a cholera outbreak since October 2024. The cholera outbreak, the country's most severe in 20 years, has resulted in 694 deaths and 40,000 cumulative cases, with children under 15 years of age comprising 50 percent of cases, according to the United Nations Children's Fund.
To make matters worse, the ongoing political standoff in South Sudan has raised concerns that the country could slide back into conflict, more than six years after emerging from a civil war that left thousands dead and displaced millions.
Undeterred by security warnings, the Chinese medical team arrived at the secondary school with hand sanitizers, instructional posters, and portable projectors.
"Wrap ice or cool cloths under the neck and armpits -- this can be the difference between life and death," Tai Haifu, a pediatrician from the Chinese medical team, detailed heatstroke emergencies as students practiced the procedure on classmates.
James Pitia Modi, 17, recalled the recent challenges he and other students had encountered.
"Many of us experienced headaches and cramps during the heatwave. Now I know emergency steps," he said. "We resumed school in March, a month later than Ugandan students. Completing our syllabus by 2026 seems difficult."
The session resonated deeply with 22-year-old Stella Kafuki Wani, whose studies had been derailed twice by COVID-19 and the extreme heat, respectively.
"This knowledge won't just help me; I'll share it with my entire community," she said.
"It is good that our students have known some preventive measures to protect themselves in the future in regard to the problem of the heatwave," said Tombe, the head teacher.
Du Changyong, leader of the Chinese medical team, described the outreach as both urgent and strategic.
"Washing hands properly is an important way to reduce infectious diseases like cholera. Equipping the students with knowledge about heatstroke prevention is also significantly important for students," Du said.
"This is our first school health campaign here. We plan to expand to communities to build lasting habits," he added.
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