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Description
In this project, we are implementing a series of educational activities dedicated to women''s health. The project is a response to stereotypes, myths and prejudice about women''s health and sexuality that have been passed down from generation to generation. ''Menstruation is an embarrassing topic. It''s just the way it is.'' – both this and other phenomenons related to women''s physicality and sexuality are considered as a taboo in the Polish society. Stereotypes, myths and prejudices about women''s health hinder the development of health education and the prevention of exclusion and violence against women. The multigenerational family model that is widespread in Poland, in which the man works and the woman takes care of the home, raises the children and cares for the elderly or disabled in the family, makes women financially dependent and unable to make life decisions. Such women receive the lowest pension in old age, and the financially dependent persons are most often victims of violence and exclusion. According to the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy report of 2015, the highest scale of violence occurs in rural areas (27.92%). 96% of those experiencing violence are women, and the largest group is women aged 25-34 years (37.50%), followed by 35-44 years (29%). As part of the project, the #MedycyKobietom (MedicsForWomen) group, consisting of doctors and a midwife, provides training and lectures for women. The beneficiaries of the project are women residents of rural or urban-rural municipalities from all over Poland. The topics of the trainings and meetings include puberty and psychosexual development, menstruation, including menstrual poverty, modern contraception, pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum, preventive examinations for women, including mammography and cytology, infertility and mental health. Recordings of the lectures are available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMnil-bAdMhSiyp0rSJq_bnwni927htDI
Summary of project results
The Foundation, in partnership with the informal group #MedycyKobietom (gynecologists, gynecologists, psychiatrists, midwives), carried out a series of educational activities on women''s health in the field of modern medicine based on scientific facts - Evidence-Based Medicine #EBM. A short reportage of the project https://youtu.be/WjkKuUzrXL8?si=XAMVMTDNJcZOimpK The project was addressed to adults from rural and urban areas excluded from communication and education. The aim of the project was to increase the level of knowledge and awareness and to motivate participants to change their attitudes regarding broadly understood health, which affects the well-being of themselves and their families. The aim of the project was to dispel stereotypes, myths and prejudices passed down from generation to generation, to increase the level of knowledge in the field of #EBM health, personal development, assertiveness, counteracting violence and strengthening educational competences, as well as the integration of 16 local women''s groups. The activities were carried out through direct meetings, i.e. medical lectures, training and psychological counseling. Topics of medical lectures included: modern contraception, psychosexual development, puberty, sexual orientation, menstrual cycle, pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum, infertility, disability, mental health. 18 meetings-lectures with doctors were streamed and recorded on the #OTSNM project channel on YouTube www.youtube.com/@otymsiemowifilm
Completed STATIONARY activities: 1) 18 medical lectures in 16 communes 2) cooperation with 16 women leaders 3) 16 stationary training sessions (243 women); after one of the trainings, a crisis intervention was undertaken, which prevented a suicide! 4) 2 conferences were held with the participation of 124 people 5) approximately 40 sets of graphics were created 6) 400 reflective vests were purchased as an advertising gadget to increase safety on unlit roadsides in rural areas 7) roll-ups were purchased 8) an ''alarm'' leaflet with the organization''s numbers was created and distributed to participants of lectures and training https://projekt.otymsiemowi.pl/polityka-ochrony-dzieci/ 9) promotional materials for the project were created 10) 6 Psychosexual Development training courses: 2 online "Body Positivity" and 4 stationary "Well-being" 11) 50 people psychological advice; as part of one of the counseling sessions, a crisis intervention was undertaken, which prevented suicide! 12) 1 project partnership with the informal group #MedycyKobietom, 13) film reportage summarizing the project https://youtu.be/WjkKuUzrXL8?si=XAMVMTDNJcZOimpK 14) 16 short videos with subtitles for social media INTERNET activities: 15) 1 website www.otymsiemowi.pl was created 16) the number of followers of the OTSNM project profiles increased 17) the #EBM knowledge base was created - recordings of lectures on the YouTube channel Total number of people involved in the activities assumed: 1,016; reached: 2003 people Patronages: Marshals of the Pomeranian, Warmian-Masurian and West Pomeranian Voivodeships and the Staroste of Sztum and Gołdap We cooperated with 15 NGOs from 15 voivodeships: including: with 4 CISs in Byczyna, Hrubieszów, Skarżysko Kamienna, Zbijów Mały, stow. Women''s Era in Koszlin, Women4Women, Fundacja na Niebiesko/Podlaskie
Results: 1) an increase in the level of #EBM knowledge in the field of health and health prevention among 396 participants of lectures and meetings. 2) increase in the knowledge level of 925 online participants 3) an increase in the level of knowledge and skills of 16 leaders and 243 women - participants of stationary training in the field of counteracting violence. Of particular interest is "Wendo - assertiveness and self-defense for women", which is new for our participants from urban and rural areas [the training is known in large cities] 4) The foundation''s partnership with the informal #MedycyKobietom group is a combination of the foundation''s efficient organizational activities with substantive knowledge in the field of health-promoting activities based on #EBM. #MK thanks to cooperation with the Foundation, they can educate and the Foundation provides all organizational logistics. 5) creating a database of 18 medical lectures, the viewership of which is constantly growing. Lectures are a source of medical knowledge based on EBM (science/fact-based medicine) Project channel on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@otymsiemowifilm; Our cooperation with Social Integration Centers (Byczyna, Skarżysko Kamienna, Mirów, Hrubieszów) whose participants are socially and professionally excluded people, and CIS is their second chance. Thanks to cooperation with CIS, we reached the MOST target group of women and men with lectures: the long-term unemployed, those experiencing violence, perpetrators of violence, low level of education, residents of urban and rural areas. We know that thanks to our actions, we saved two people who were having a suicidal crisis (psychological counseling and Wendo training). Counteracting violence is a long and slow process of changing attitudes, requiring further educational activities in local communities based on local government and non-governmental institutions, which will create independent local support centers.