6 August 2009

Betty's clinic opens for Pacific Island children

Wahroonga, New South Wales
Melody Tan

Adventist Health in the South Pacific has released a new DVD designed to educate children in the Pacific Islands on the dangers of smoking and alcohol.

The 30-minute Betty's Clinic - Smoking and Alcohol is a collaboration between Adventist Health Ministries of the South Pacific, Adventist Children's Ministries of the South Pacific and Abide Family Ministries, the team behind the children's TV series Arnie's Shack.

"Smoking and alcohol are huge problems in the islands and we have never had appropriate resources for children there," says Dr Chester Kuma, associate director of Adventist Health. "The DVD will meet a huge need. Research has shown that if we educate children when they are primary aged, problem behaviours can be more successfully addressed."

Betty's Clinic is a puppet-based production and includes action songs for children to follow along. It features Tevita and Luci, two young children struggling with questions regarding smoking and alcohol, who visit Nurse Betty for more information.

The team behind Betty's Clinic

The two-disc pack also includes teaching notes and worksheets, as well as a PowerPoint presentation. It will be available for use by every Adventist primary school in the Pacific Islands but Dr Kuma has bigger plans for it.

"We want to see Betty's Clinic used as part of every school's curriculum in the Pacific Islands," says Dr Kuma.

According to Kevin Price, director of Adventist Health in the South Pacific, the Adventist Church in Africa, as well as many non-Christian communities in the Pacific Islands, have already requested copies of Betty's Clinic.

There are plans to release two more DVDs in the Betty's Clinic series, addressing nutrition, physical activity and personal hygiene.

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