Healthy, Deadly, Strong in Pormpuraaw

Apunipima and Pormpuraaw’s Pormpur Paanthu Child Care Centre held a special celebration on Wednesday 16th of November focusing on healthy hands, noses and teeth.

Thanks to a generous donation from Colgate Australia, the event saw each child given a toothbrush and tube of toothpaste as well as a toothbrush for adult family members.

There was a special oral health promotional information available including the ‘Healthy Kids, Healthy Teeth’ booklet produced by the kids and educators of the Centre which was launched earlier this year.

The event also launched ‘Healthy Noses, Healthy Hands’, the second booklet starring the kids and staff of the Centre. The booklet focuses on basic hygiene messages which are essential for reducing the incidence of preventable illnesses such as colds and ear infections amongst Cape York kids.

Apunipima Health Promotion Officer Fiona Millard said the day was special for the whole community.

‘Our books star the kids of Pormpuraaw which is exciting in itself. More exciting though is that staff and kids were involved in writing the text, taking the photos and having input into the design of the books. The project has been about learning, sharing, doing and supporting community solutions.’

‘The event was also made extra special by a generous donation from Colgate Australia who sent us 150 kids’ toothbrushes and toothpaste and adult tooth brushes for the kids’ family members. On behalf of Pormpur Paanthu and Apunipima I want to thank Colgate for their kind donation and for their support for oral health in remote Cape York. We know good oral health is vital for overall bodily health, speech capacity and social confidence and we are extremely grateful for this donation.’