Zoomlion Foundation launches "Keep Your Mind on the Road Campaign"
As part of its initiative to equip schoolchildren, teachers, and parents with skills in emergency response preparedness and road safety, the Zoomlion Foundation has partnered with the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital Emergency Unit, the National Ambulance Service, and Road Safety Management Services Limited (RSML).
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Supported by the Ghana Police Service Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate (MTTD) and the Ghana Education Service, the campaign aims to train and sensitize approximately 10,000 beneficiaries in the Adentan Municipality of Accra.
The first training session took place on Friday, June 14, 2024, at the assembly grounds of Nii Sowa Din Memorial Cluster of Schools in Nmai Dzorn, near the Zoomlion Head Office. Over 3,000 schoolchildren, teachers, and parents attended the session. Participants were drawn from all five schools in the cluster (Sowa Din Kindergarten, Sowa Din Primary 1, Sowa Din Primary 2, Sowa Din JHS 1, and Sowa Din JHS 2), as well as key stakeholders in the Nmai Dzorn community, including zonal city guards, zonal environmental officers, clinics, PTA representatives, trotro drivers, okada riders, clergy, the assembly member, and local sellers.
The Clinical Coordinator for the Emergency Service Department at Korle Bu Hospital, Dr. Henry Bulley led an eight-member medical team to conduct the training. He emphasized the critical role of emergency response in saving lives during accidents and disasters, highlighting the importance of education and training in emergency procedures.
Dr. Bulley identified several key issues affecting emergency response in Ghana, including delayed assistance, incorrect actions, lack of basic first aid skills, inadequate communication, and unfamiliarity with emergency response resources.
Dr. Serwaa Quao of the medical team used dummy human body parts, charts, and role plays to demonstrate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), first aid procedures, convulsion handling, burns treatment, and other essential emergency response skills. Students and teachers practiced these skills during the session.
The Deputy Director of National Ambulance Services, Dr. Felicia Freeman, along with her team of Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), facilitated training on emergency communication and response. They demonstrated their services using a national ambulance vehicle and allowed teachers and schoolchildren to observe care procedures inside the vehicle. EMTs also used role play to teach trainees how to call for emergency assistance using the National Ambulance short code 193.
The Business Development Manager of Road Safety Management Services Limited (RSML), Mr. Theodore Aplerku, stressed the need for teachers to continually educate schoolchildren on basic road regulations. He emphasized the importance of road safety education, particularly with the newly constructed dual road in front of the school, to prevent accidents.
The Adentan Municipal School Health Education Program Coordinator, Mrs. Patience Basintale highlighted a key takeaway from the training: the correct treatment of burns using running water rather than chemicals or liquids. She noted that the training has equipped teachers and schoolchildren with basic emergency response skills to save lives.
The Coordinator of the Zoomlion Foundation, Mr. Thomas Narh Korley expressed satisfaction with the attendance at the first training session. "This life-saving skills training will reach all schools in Nmai Dzorn to protect the lives of students and parents," he stated. He mentioned that key stakeholders have been calling for this training since the dual carriageway linking School Junction to Boteiman was opened, leading to accidents involving parents and schoolchildren. The Zoomlion Foundation is also working with other key stakeholders, such as the Municipal Assembly representative Hon. David Animah and the Ghana Highway Authority, to implement additional measures to curb overspeeding.