Outdoor therapy for veterans, Sri Lanka provides free period products, spacesuits saving mothers’ lives

Photo: SivaSankara Reddy Bommireddy/Unsplash (CC0)

In today’s edition of Squirrel News, we’re talking about an alternative approach to mental health therapy for veterans, free period products for schoolchildren in Sri Lanka, and a spacesuit adapted to save the lives of new mothers.

Outdoor therapy to be prescribed to veterans instead of pharmaceuticals

A new programme aims to offer outdoor activities as treatment to those suffering from PTSD, standing as an alternative to traditional medicine-based approaches to mental health care.

Source: NPR

Sri Lanka to give schoolgirls free period products

The Sri Lankan government has said it will provide free, locally made pads to about 800,000 schoolgirls. The project will prioritise children in poorer rural areas and also aims to build toilet facilities in 2,500 schools. It could transform girls’ learning.

Source: The Guardian

Adapted spacesuits are saving the lives of new mothers in Papua New Guinea

Originally designed for astronauts, the suits use compression techniques to stem excessive bleeding as a result of childbirth, buying time until those in remote areas are able to get to hospital.

Source: BBC

An Israeli man has regained his sight after the world’s first artificial cornea transplant

After an operation that lasted less than an hour, the patient was able to see using the biometric implant.

Source: NZ Herald

President Biden’s government will switch to an all-electric fleet of federal vehicles

The move means that over 645,000 petrol-consuming vehicles will be replaced with more environmentally responsible alternatives.

Source: Techcrunch

Japan’s disaster-proofing strategies have resulted in some of the world’s safest cities

Due to investment in risk management and innovative approaches to extreme weather, the country’s infrastructure is a model of successful climate change adaptation.

Source: Bloomberg

Long Covid patients are receiving breathing lessons from opera singers

A successful joint venture between Imperial College London and the English National Opera is helping those feeling the effects of long Covid to breathe more easily – with the pilot programme set to be expanded.

Source: BBC News

Addiction treatment campervans are supporting those in remote Colorado

The mobile clinics are improving access to healthcare services by travelling to hard-to-reach mountain hamlets, ensuring patients are supported despite limited transport services.

Source: Reasons To Be Cheerful

From waste to play space: the project turning India’s scrap into playgrounds

Realising safe play places were in short supply while waste materials were abundant, a group of friends set about transforming life for local children

Source: The Guardian

The Prison Journalism Project is training incarcerated people to become journalists

By teaching inmates writing skills, the programme aims to share the untold stories of those behind bars, shedding light on issues within the prison population.

Source: Poynter

Flower power! The movement to bring back Britain’s beautiful meadows

An increasing number of meadow-makers are rewilding empty fields, with over 13,000 acres of land now hosting bee-friendly wildflowers.

Source: The Guardian

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