Health Education Beyond Schools: Why Home Visits Matter in Rural Health Work

Home visits inform our perspectives in ways that classroom interactions alone cannot

This was my 60th home visit, and I thought I knew what to expect by now. But today’s visit touched me in a way I was not expecting.

Over the last year, I have conducted more than 120 health education sessions in government schools. After each session, I make it a point to visit my students’ homes to understand them better, their context, their families, their health behaviours, and stories of change. Over time, these visits become a rhythm. I walk into homes, have conversations, share small pieces of knowledge, and leave with the hope of meeting them again.

I was going to visit one of my students, Shilpam. By the time I reached, I realised the visit had already begun without me. She had reached home earlier and told everyone, with excitement, that “Didi is coming.” Her grandmother was sitting outside on a cot, with two chairs placed near her. The moment she saw me, she gave a warm smile, and somehow, the exhaustion from walking in the heat disappeared. I cannot fully describe that smile in words. She gestured for me to sit, and I joined her.

Within a few minutes, a couple of women from nearby houses came over. Curious, they asked, “Which didi has come?” It was clear that Shilpam had spoken about me and the school sessions around her home. At that moment, I felt I was not just a didi who comes to take sessions. I felt welcomed, known, and a sense of belonging.

I realised during the conversation that ensued how often elderly wisdom is ignored within households. For example, we spoke about many things ranging from balanced diet, menstrual hygiene, and UTIs. The grandmother spoke with pride about their kitchen garden and how they encourage children to eat home-cooked food. She said they keep telling children these things, but children often feel that elders just say it without knowing much. When we spoke about menstruation, she shared that they use cloth, wash it properly with water, and dry it in the sunlight. She did not know the exact reasoning behind sunlight, but

she was definitely doing the right thing.

She also told me that Shilpam talks a lot about the sessions and the games we play at school, and that she makes sure she never misses school on the days I come. Hearing this meant a lot.

At the same time, the grandmother and the women there shared their life experiences and health practices openly and with trust, and Shilpam and the younger children were listening with curiosity, as if they had never heard their grandmothers say these things before.

Home visits take us into the worlds of people we would not ordinarily meet

This is exactly why home visits matter. They help us understand the realities children live in, beyond what we see in classrooms. They create space for conversations that include families, not just students. They build trust, which is essential for any behaviour change intervention. And sometimes, they simply remind us that knowledge already exists within communities, we just need to listen and build from it.

In the context of Supaul where we work, it is rare to see teachers visiting students’ homes like this, and most student-teacher relationships tend to remain distant. But something as simple as asking children to call me “didi” instead of “ma’am” makes a huge difference in warmth, approach, bonding, and relatability. Understanding health, especially behaviour change, is not straightforward. But it becomes easier when there is trust between the facilitator and the participant.

One thing I know for sure, I will always remember this visit. Not just for what we spoke about, but for what it reminded me about why we do what we do and the tremendous scope of opportunities!