We were absolutely delighted that our recent achievement of being shortlisted for the World Health Organisation Health for All Film Festival was featured on the ZIZ News on 1st April 2022.
We’d like to say a big thank you to ZIZ for this feature and if you missed it, you can watch it in the clip below.
Meet the Willbuts, a short animation depicting how sugar-sweetened beverages and an unhealthy diet impact a typical Caribbean family, has been shortlisted for the World Health Organisation (WHO) Health for All Film Festival.
The WHO Health for All Film Festival is held annually to demonstrate how creative media is being mobilised for health promotion and education. The festival invites submissions from patients, health workers, health activists, NGOs, public institutions and professional filmmakers of short films on a wide range of health-related topics, including non-communicable diseases (NCDs), mental health, disability, and communicable diseases as well as environmental and social determinants of health, such as gender-based violence, road safety and pollution.
Meet the Willbuts was submitted by Lake Health and Wellbeing, a public health NGO in St. Kitts and Nevis. The animation was shortlisted under the very short film category for conveying messages about NCDs and the need for families to improve their diets for better health outcomes. Lake Health and Wellbeing’s submission was recognised out of over 1000 submissions from 110 countries – a major achievement that places St. Kitts and Nevis on the global stage for health promotion and education.
The winners will be announced in May; in the meantime, WHO is encouraging the public to get involved by selecting a film that they would like to champion and then commenting on its story or topic before May 10, 2022. Comments can be posted on social media using the hashtag #Film4Health or through the WHO’s YouTube playlists available on the festival’s website. Some comments from the public will be featured during the Health for All Film Festival’s virtual awards ceremony in mid-May.
Meet the Willbuts was produced as part of Lake Health and Wellbeing’s You’re Sweet Enough campaign which aims to tackle the high rate of non-communicable diseases locally and regionally by encouraging the public to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Specifically, the campaign focuses on encouraging the public to reduce their consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and consume water instead.
Dr Fanta Waterman, a board member of Lake Health and Wellbeing, said:
“With campaigns like You’re Sweet Enough, Lake Health and Wellbeing continuously demonstrates its commitment to making health literacy accessible, actionable and fun for all. This will only help to improve the health outcomes of people living in this region – and now, globally! I am so proud to be affiliated with this organisation and am glad many others will get to see this animation about how to maintain one’s health.”
Maisha Hutton, Executive Director of the Healthy Caribbean Coalition, stated that:
“We’re extremely delighted that one of our civil society members has been shortlisted for the WHO Health for All Film Festival. This highlights that civil society can occupy the tech-innovation space to reach the public with important public health messages. This is a major achievement for the Caribbean and showcases the talent and creativity that exists in our region.”
Finally, one of Lake Health and Wellbeing’s main project partners, the Ministry of Health, said:
“The Ministry of Health is grateful for the partnership cultivated with Lake Health and Wellbeing as one of the leading organisations dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of our local, regional and now global community. The You’re Sweet Enough campaign has generated conversations regarding healthy drinking and the importance of consuming adequate water. As a civil society organisation, their aim is to contribute to the improvement of public health. Therefore, their positive influence is having a profound impact on the healthy decisions made by members of our society.”
We’re delighted to announce that we are now a member of the World Patients Alliance and thus join over 300 organisations aiming to ensure that patients have access to safe, high quality and affordable healthcare.
The World Patients Alliance is the umbrella organisation of patients and patients’ organisation around the globe. The Alliance provides a platform to empower and raise the patients’ voice and ensure that patients have an active role to play in all stages of healthcare and that includes planning, provision, monitoring, research and evaluation of health services. The Alliance represents patients from all world regions and across all disease areas.
The Alliance was founded on the following key principles:
Access to healthcare:
Every patient should have access to healthcare that includes timely, effective, affordable, optimal, and innovative treatments for their condition.
Patient centered healthcare:
Patients and healthcare providers must work in partnership to ensure the patient’s individual specific health needs and desired health outcomes are the focus for all healthcare decisions including physical, emotional, psycho-social, and economic aspects.
Financial hardship:
Patients should have health coverage options that provide them with health care while protecting them from financial hardship.
Empowered patients:
Patients should be supported and empowered to express their needs, concerns, and preferences and provided with the opportunity to have a voice in the decision making of their treatments
Patient safety and quality:
Patients should be provided with treatments that are safe, high quality and appropriately monitored
Patient education and information:
Stakeholders should ensure patients are educated in understandable and accessible ways about their condition and treatment options. They must be provided with information that is simple, relevant and comprehensive.
Partnership and collaboration:
Patients should partner and collaborate with all stakeholders for the provision and access to safe, quality, and affordable healthcare.
Patient engagement:
Patients should be supported and provided the opportunity to be engaged at all levels of decision making concerning their healthcare.
No discrimination:
Patients seeking care must not be discriminated against on the basis of age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, income, health status, education, geographic location, legal status or other similar factors.
We’re delighted to be a member of the WPA and are looking forward to being a part of this new and growing network of organisations. You can find out more about the WPA by visiting their website or Facebook or Twitter pages
.
On 16th Feb 2022, our Advocacy and Research Officer, Isalean Phillip, was the featured guest on the Legendary Talk Show on Nevis’ 2020 Vision Radio.
During this interview Isalean discussed NCDs, our You’re Sweet Enough campaign and many other interesting topics.
If you missed this interview, you can listen to the recording by clicking on the picture below.
.
We are delighted to welcome two new members to our board of directors, Dr Fanta Waterman and Ms Michelle Sutton. Both bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the public health and health education fields and will be an asset to our NGO as we continue our work to improve the health and wellbeing of our local, regional and online community.
Fanta Waterman PhD, MPH is an award-winning researcher who is passionate about making health literacy achievable for everyone and investigating opportunities to improve the health and quality of life of underserved populations. Dr Waterman is currently the Founder and Managing Director of Serrette Brown Research and Consulting, a health research consultancy service.
Launching her career in Public Health Systems and Services Research (PHSSR), Dr. Waterman has held positions in local government agencies, consulting firms, non-profits, large manufacturers, and start-ups.
With numerous publications, Dr. Waterman is also a seasoned lecturer, having taught as an adjunct Associate Professor within the City University of New York from 2008 to 2013.
Dr. Waterman was born to Trinidadian and Gullah (South Carolina, US) parents and grew up in Harlem, NYC. Her favorite foods are callaloo (with crab!) and macaroni pie.
Michelle earned her Bachelor of Physical and Health Education with further graduate studies in Health Education and certification in Holistic Nutrition. Michelle is currently the Ministry of Education’s Health and Wellness Curriculum Coordinator, where she feels she can support the development of a strong foundation in health and wellness for children and young people. Michelle is also a Registered Massage Therapist and has been involved in health and wellness all her life.
We are delighted to have them on board and look forward to working with them over the coming years.
We were absolutely delighted that our School Dance Competition was featured on the ZIZ News on 1st November. During the feature, our You’re Sweet Enough dance videos were featured and the public was introduced to the general rules of the competition.
We’d like to say a big thank you to ZIZ for this feature and if you missed it, you can watch it in the clip below.
And, to find out more about the competition you can visit this webpage
Today, 1st November 2021, Lake Health and Wellbeing in collaboration with the Curriculum Development Unit of the Ministry of Education in St. Kitts, launched the You’re Sweet Enough Dance Competition.
Beginning today, both high and primary school children in St. Kitts and Nevis, their parents and teachers, as well as school alumni are eligible to enter the dance competition and receive a chance to win prizes including a Chromebook, a tablet, a projector, and a water cooler.
Participants will have to learn the official You’re Sweet Enough dance, record themselves performing the dance to the You’re Sweet Enough jingle and then upload the recording to the competition’s webpage for a public vote. To make their performance stand out, participants can add some variation to the routine and use props that will enhance the message of the jingle.
Participants will have three weeks to submit their recordings with submissions closing on 21st November and the public vote taking place from 22nd to 29th November.
Those interested in taking part in the You’re Sweet Enough Dance Competition can find out more about the rules, access videos of the official dance and jingle, and submit their recordings here.
Sponsors of the competition include Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Taiwan ICDF, Pure Water and Island Purified Water.
On 21st August 2021, the Global Fibroids Alliance hosted a virtual global panel discussion featuring speakers from Canada, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Ghana, France, the UK and the US.
Panelists explored the challenges faced by women living with fibroids, how their organisations are trying to address these challenges and what is needed on a global level to improve the situation for women living with fibroids.
Panelists included:
If you missed this event, you can watch the recording below.
We were absolutely delighted that WINN Media featured our recent op-ed calling for Government action on non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
You can read this feature here
Thirty-eight individuals signed up to take the You’re Sweet Enough: No SSB Drink Water Challenge as part of the SKN Moves 7-week health campaign.
The No SSB Drink Water Challenge encourages persons to make healthier choices by eliminating the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and to drink water instead. Participants will track their water consumption daily using a water tracking app and submit photo or video testimonials about their experience. At the end of two weeks, those who consumed the most water will be awarded prizes.
A few challenge participants met for the first time at an orientation session where each person shared their motivations for signing up to drink only water for two weeks from August 22nd to September 5th. “Sugar is a drug that is bad for us, yet it is everywhere” said one participant who recognizes the negative health effects of consuming SSBs. Another participant expressed that the challenge is a natural progression of the healthy lifestyle changes that she’s trying to make. Multiple participants shared the fact that they have a family history of diabetes and other NCDs and so they were taking the No SSB challenge to improve their health chances and to set a better example in their homes and communities.
The You’re Sweet Enough: No SSB Drink Water Challenge is coordinated by Lake Health and Wellbeing during week 4 of the Ministry of Health’s SKN Moves 7-week health campaign. SKN Moves is an initiative designed under the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) Programme to create a healthy lifestyle culture centered on healthy eating practices, regular physical activity and regular health checks/screenings. You’re Sweet Enough is a health education campaign led by Lake Health and Wellbeing to inform and educate the public about the links between consuming SSBs and the development of obesity, diabetes and other NCDs.
You can find out more about our You’re Sweet Enough campaign on our campaign website.
