24/01/2026
Today is International Education Day!
We asked Dr Mary Lorraine Mationg, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at QIMR Berghofer to talk about The Magic Glasses Program.
The Magic Glasses Program is a video-based health education program designed to help schoolchildren understand soil-transmitted helminths (STH) — parasitic worms that thrive where sanitation is poor, but are entirely preventable.
At the centre of the program is a 12-minute animated cartoon. A school-aged boy is given a pair of “magic glasses” by the village doctor, allowing him to see microscopic worm eggs and larvae around his village. By making the invisible visible, children learn how infections happen, why they matter, and how simple hygiene and sanitation can prevent them.
The program doesn’t stop at the screen. Classroom discussions, pamphlets, and creative activities like drawing and essay competitions help reinforce the message: prevention starts with you — for yourself, your family, and your community.
The Magic Glasses has been rigorously tested and shown to work — reducing infections, improving hygiene behaviours, and increasing deworming uptake among schoolchildren. It has since been adapted and scaled across China, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand, supporting national WASH and deworming programs.
For many of the children involved, access to clean water and toilets is a luxury. Education is one of their strongest pathways out of poverty — and by preventing disease, we help keep them healthy, learning, and in school.
That’s the “magic”
