Raising awareness of antimicrobial resistance in rural schools: Lessons from a school outreach event
Background
World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW) provides an important opportunity to raise awareness of the dangers of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and promote practical approaches to preventing it. In 2024, some fellow Society Champions and I conducted AMR outreach sessions in schools across Nigeria and the UK, working primarily in semi-urban settings. We discussed this in our Educating children on antimicrobial resistance in schools: a global initiative blog. In 2025, I deliberately shifted my focus towards schools in rural and resource-constrained communities.
Rural and resource-limited communities often face a combination of challenges that can contribute to the emergence and spread of antimicrobial-resistant infections. These include inconsistent access to clean water, self-medication, informal access to antibiotics and limited awareness of AMR. In some settings, limited access to good healthcare and diagnostic services may further encourage people to use antibiotics without appropriate professional guidance.
Together, these challenges can increase both the likelihood of infection and attitudes that contribute to AMR. Children are critical to promoting information that can help address AMR, and are therefore an important audience for outreach activities.
What we did
From 10–12 November 2025, I organised outreach sessions to 180 students across three schools, with 60 students participating at each school. The activities were supported by four volunteers and followed the same methodology used in our 2024 outreach event, while being adapted to the local context and available resources.
Rather than relying solely on lectures, we used interactive, hands-on activities to make AMR concepts easier to understand and remember.
Fluorescent lotion and UV light were used to visualise how micro-organisms can be transferred through touch. Students then compared different approaches to hand hygiene, including washing with water alone, washing with soap and water and using hand sanitiser. This allowed them to observe, in a practical way, why appropriate hand hygiene is important for reducing the spread of micro-organisms.
We also introduced the concept of biofilms, using LEGO blocks. Students constructed biofilm-like structures and then attempted to break them down, using soft balls, representing AMR treatment. The activity provided a simple visual representation of why micro-organisms within biofilms can be more difficult to eliminate and why biofilm-associated infections can present challenges for treatment.
The practical activities were followed by scenario-based discussions focused on everyday behaviours associated with AMR. Students considered situations such as stopping antibiotics before completion, self-medicating and purchasing antibiotics without a prescription. Through these scenarios, we discussed how inappropriate antimicrobial use can contribute to the development and spread of resistance.
Each session concluded with student pledges and poster activities designed to extend the message beyond the classroom and into students' homes and communities. Pre- and post-session surveys were also administered at each school to assess changes in students' understanding of AMR, their perception of its urgency, and their ability to identify actions that can help prevent AMR.
Results/outcome
Findings from the outreach session indicate substantial gaps in baseline knowledge. Many students had limited prior understanding of what AMR is, how AMR develops, how resistant infections can spread, and what individuals can do to help prevent it. Following the sessions, however, there was a measurable improvement in students' understanding of these concepts.
The response to the activities was also strongly positive. Most students rated the sessions four out of five or higher, while several described the hands-on demonstrations as the first time they had heard of AMR. This was particularly encouraging because the activities were designed to demonstrate that AMR is not simply a complex scientific or medical issue, but something connected to everyday behaviours such as hand hygiene and the way antibiotics are used.
The response from school staff was equally encouraging. Several staff members had not previously hosted a science outreach programme and expressed interest in having similar activities repeated and extended to other schools within their networks.
Looking ahead
Schools provide an important entry point for raising awareness about the risks of AMR, particularly among children and young people. However, school-based outreach alone is unlikely to reach the wider community. AMR awareness efforts should therefore be extended to other settings.
Religious settings offer a particularly valuable opportunity because they bring together large and diverse groups of people regularly and are often trusted sources of information within communities. They also provide direct access to adults and caregivers, who play a key role in decisions about antibiotic use, treatment-seeking and hygiene practices at home.
Other community settings, including markets, primary healthcare centres and community and youth groups, can also serve as effective platforms for AMR awareness. These settings provide opportunities to engage people who may be exposed to or involved in practices such as self-medication and inappropriate antibiotic use. Importantly, awareness activities in these settings can go beyond general messaging by incorporating practical demonstrations and discussions that help people understand how to use antibiotics appropriately and prevent the spread of resistant infections.
Find out more about the Champions Scheme and the activities our Champions undertake on our Society Champions page.
