The Ramah Navajo Child-to-Child Program

The international CHILD-to-child program, conceptualized by Dr. David Morley of the University of London, is based on the concept that children in developing nations act as caregivers, teachers, and health workers in their families and communities. The critical component in the program is the ability and willingness of children to become actively involved as care givers. CHILD-to-child is an action-oriented approach that draws upon a vast reservoir of similar programs that have been successful in over forty developing countries of the Third World. Similarities between the Ramah Navajo Community in New Mexico and many Third World nations served as a stimulus in the initiation and development of this project. The Ramah Navajo CHILD-to-child Health Education Project involved the development of a school health education curriculum that supported Native American children in a community-based effort to improve the quality of health care and the standard of living for their families. With funding from the U.S. Department of Education as a national demonstration project, a needs assessment was conducted and a seven-unit curriculum was developed.