Over 9,000 children in Portugal have already been trained this school year to recognise the early signs of a stroke and respond quickly in an emergency through the educational project FAST Heroes 112.
The initiative is designed to teach schoolchildren how to identify three key warning signs of a stroke and, most importantly, to call emergency services immediately.
As the team behind the project points out in a statement, stroke remains one of the leading causes of death and long-term disability in Portugal, where fast action can make the difference between recovery and serious consequences.
To make the message easier for children to remember, the programme uses simple characters representing the symptoms: a drooping face, weakness in one arm, and difficulty speaking. These are linked to “hero” figures Francisco, Fernando and Fátima. A fourth character, Tomás, reinforces the most important rule: don’t waste time and call 112 straight away.
The idea is that children act as “health ambassadors”, bringing this knowledge home and helping to protect family members, especially grandparents.
Since launching in Portugal in 2021, FAST Heroes 112 has reached more than 15,000 children across over 350 schools. The programme is developed in partnership with the University of Macedonia and supported by organisations including the World Stroke Organization and the Portuguese Stroke Society.
“This year, we reached the global milestone of one million children involved in the FAST Heroes initiative, a reason for enormous pride, as well as seeing this project grow in Portugal. We are giving these children the most important superpower of all: knowledge that can save lives,” said Jan Van der Merwe, one of the project’s creators.
“This achievement was only possible thanks to the dedication of a vast community, and we are truly grateful to everyone: teachers, health professionals, parents, grandparents, and above all else, every one of our little heroes,” he added.
Schools and teachers are encouraged to continue enrolling classes, with participation offered free of charge through the project’s official website.
