The first ever family fun day activity will take place this Saturday in the south of the island. Spearheading the initiative are officials from the Ministry of Health who will engage residents in the area.
The activity forms part of Caribbean Wellness Day observances for 2023 under the theme, “Power through collective action” which kicked off with a commemoration ceremony and farmers’ market at Constitution Park on Friday September 8th.
This year’s launch was undertaken collaboratively with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Taiwan Technical Mission.
The activities, which will be held throughout September, will put emphasis on family and health, as efforts to combat non-communicable diseases continue.
On Saturday 16th, the focus will be on the south of the island as the Ministry of Health hosts one of two major family fun days. Acting Director of the Bureau of Health Education, Nadiege Smith-Lambert encourages all to visit the Vieux Fort Square from 10 am to 4pm.
“You may recall during the COVID-19 pandemic the Vieux-Fort and La Clery Wellness Centres were converted to COVID- 19 testing sites. As a result, community members would’ve lost the access to routine health care services which are offered at those facilities. However, both facilities are back to offering our regular services but we saw it necessary to bring our team to those communities and offer services and information outside of our traditional location targeting the family,” Smith-Lambert said.
On Saturday 23 September, the Family Fun Day will be hosted in La Clery from 10 am to 4 pm.
“The Family Fun Days will include doctor consultation, blood sugar and blood pressure screening, Dental screening, eye screening, nutritional education, vaccines, information on various health topics, health initiatives and programmes. They both will also include a one-hour fitness session from 3-4pm. We would also have some of our key stakeholders such as St. Lucia Diabetes and Hypertension Association, Faces of Cancer, Cancer Society, Renal Association, St. Lucia Planned Parenthood and other partners,“ Smith-Lambert said.
The day’s activities will also include a host of entertainment, including DJ’s and artists in the likes of A1 Jugglers, Hyper D, Ti Blacks and Arthur Allain to name a few. Participants are also encouraged to come prepared for physical fitness exercises.
Said Smith-Lambert, “We’re actually very excited because this is our first family fun day that the Ministry of Health will be hosting. So we encourage you and your family to come, spend the day with our team and have a fun-filled Saturday. It’s important that you remember to walk with your child’s health book, by this we would be able to give guidance on your child’s assessment etc. So we’re urging you to take advantage of those activities, those services and the information that will be given on that day.”