One girl's story

"I think everyone in my community should learn first aid," says Candice.

Candice is 12-years-old and recently took part in first-aid training that was run by Plan. This is her first-hand account of the training she received and why she thinks it is so important for people in her village. You can view a short video of the training in progress below.

My name is Candice . I am 12 years old. I live in rural Guinea Bissau, in a small village with my parents – they are farmers.

The only way to receive medicine is to go to the health unit nearby. Going to see the doctor means a long journey to Bafata. 

Once, a child in my village was bitten by a poisonous snake, and so she was taken to a traditional healer in the next village, and never returned. I’m still sad when I think about her. She was my friend. Because of what happened to her, I decided to volunteer when the people came from Plan and offered a first aid course. They explained that in the course, I could learn lots of things about helping when someone is injured. So, I signed up.

At first, I was scared because there were so many kids there who I didn’t know but after the first few hours, we were all best friends. They were all like me in that they wanted to be there to learn how to help people. Some of them want to become doctors like me as well!

We learned a lot during the course. My favorite parts were how to treat a snake bite and how to secure a fractured bone. Both of these are really important and practical because we live so far from a clinic. It seemed like a lot to learn, but the teachers talked to us first and shared information about how to react and what to do first. When we began practicing on each other, it all made sense. Knowing how to stop bleeding and clean a cut can help save a life.

I think everyone in my community should learn first aid.  Then, we would all know what to do when someone is sick or injured. And, then we would help them make the long journey to the hospital after an accident. While I don’t want anyone in my village to be hurt, I know I am ready to practice first aid on them. It will be scary at first, but I feel good knowing I can make a difference!

Find our more about Plan's work in Guinea Bissau.