Commemoration of the Union Day at NIMR Mabibo

On 26^th April 2023, NIMR Traditional Medicine Research Centre celebrated union day by promoting health research interests and conducting health promotion activities among primary school children. These activities involved about 250 pupils and 8 teachers from both Makuburi and Mabibo primary schools. The overall motive of the center is to promotion science subjects and healthy diets among young generations.

Accordingly, throughout the day the pupils who visited the Center were given a rare opportunity to listen to senior scientists about several health research success stories, including, the discovery of new drugs, upgrading our traditional remedies to modern standards, NIMR involvement in the discovery of impregnated mosquito net, etc. Later, they toured NIMR research laboratories and factory facilities to appreciate the state-of-the-art pieces of equipment and machines and get inspired to want to use them in the future.

Simultaneously, with verbal consent from their guardian, about 232 pupils received free assessments of their nutritional status. Then, each assessed pupil received individualized nutritional advise from the Center’s medical doctors. Interestingly, the majority of these pupils had normal nutritional status. Assessment of nutritional status accompanied with promoting NIMR’s health drink-the NIMRVIT.

Later in the day, the pupils played their favorite games –the questions and answers game. The scientists asked pupils questions relating to union day, NIMR functions and its establishment, malaria, and cholera-the contemporary health topics. Winners were those pupils who responded correctly and were awarded a NIMRVIT juice. The game turned out to be the most exciting event of the day where each pupil was eager to demonstrate his/her knowledge about NIMR and current issues in health. Finally, the head teacher assessed pupil’s level of interest to become a health research scientist by asking those who wished to become one to put their hands up, Surprisingly, nearly all 250 pupils were excited to become health research scientists one day.