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Description
The health status of Roma is significantly low, as confirmed by the data, the average life expectancy of Roma is on average six years shorter than that of the non-Roma population. The infant mortality rate is on average three times higher among Roma children. Moreover, Slovakia generally faces significant challenges in ensuring enough health professionals per capita, which has an adverse impact on the most vulnerable groups. Sufficient health and social support for women before and during pregnancy, and after childbirth, is often absent in marginalized Roma communities (MRC). Project builds on two decades of successful development of health mediation, fieldwork in the MRC, and ongoing volunteers’ project. The project is centered on health mediation in the environment of socially disadvantaged communities, which focuses on the first key 1000 days from the conception of the child. Community capacity provides all care programme for pregnant women, during and after their stay in the maternity ward, and strengthens their mutual relationships among communities. Interventions, both at home and in the hospital, shall be carried out by Babice – Roma women health mediators. Another key part of the project is communication advocacy and outreach to the general public. Project partners will provide expertise in advocacy campaigning preparation as well as support to strategic communication design and implementation and mutual exchange of know- how.
Summary of project results
Health & social support systems for pregnant women and infants are often not sufficient in Slovakia, most notably in marginalised groups. Roma women pregnancy weight gain is less then recommended, infant mortality rate is up to three times higher than in the majority population and children lack suitable sensory impulses and fall behind in development.
Throughout the key 1000 days, the well-being of a mother and the well-being of her child are closely linked. It is essential that women have the nutrition, care and support they need. To prepare and support girls, women and pregnant women, and to increase their awareness and competencies, positively affects their situation and ultimately, the health and well-being of them and the baby.
The Mission 1000 provides home and communal care for pregnant women, during their stay at maternity ward and after their release from hospital. The project focuses on pregnant women and new-borns at home as well as in hospital. Direct involvement of women from communities and hospital staff has a positive effect on mother’s situation and thereby on the health of the baby.
Interventions, both at home and in the hospital, are carried out by Babice – Roma women health mediator (Babice). Babice themselves come from the community they serve, spread awareness among pregnant women and mothers, provide support, connect women and health care providers, help with antenatal care and care for new-borns and toddlers. With their activities, they also aim to improve the readiness of children for pre-school system, decrease the level of social exclusion and ensure that their clients can live up to their full potential.
In the field, Babice carry out preventive, developmental and educational activities. They accompany women through pregnancy, prepare them for childbirth, teach them how to care for a newborn, support the creation of a good relationship between mother and child. They show mothers exercises that they can use to develop the motor and cognitive capabilities of their child. They work with clients individually or in groups, either at home, in the Babice''s premises, outdoors, or in other neutral spaces (Community centres, schools, church). In cooperation with medical staff, they mediate contact with their clients.
In the hospital, Babice work in the gynaecology and obstetrics department and the paediatric department. Babice accompany mothers during and after childbirth, teach them how to care for their newborn, advise them on breastfeeding. They can explain the ward regime and treatment procedures to patients. In addition to the language barrier, they also help them overcome fear and uncertainty in a foreign environment. In the paediatric department, they help children in the same way, they accompany children who are hospitalized without their parents for examinations.
Babice were the first and main pillar of the project. They represent a basic tool for change, but at the same time they also form the target group of the project. Babice have learned to use new knowledge and techniques, increased their value in the labor market and gained motivation to change their community for the better. Babice are an instrument of change and at the same time, the target group of the Mission 1000 project, which is why they have become a role model for many members of their family and community.
The project has given a chance to change their lives and the situation in their community for 17 Babice, who in turn helped 17 localities in eastern Slovakia. During the project, Babice:
- Provided regular support and counselling to 431 individual clients, of which 314 were women and 117 men;
- Provided services to 31,059 clients (cumulative), of which 6,630 in the paediatric department, 6,690 in the gynaecology department and 17,739 in the field;
- Devoted 1720 hours to educational activities in the field, and worked in the hospital for 4558 hours.
The education and support Mission 1000 provides for mothers-to-be enhances their competence and health literacy, which has a direct effect on the health and future of the child. The project significantly alleviates the burden on paediatric and OBGYN wards of local hospitals and jointly circumvents any possible barriers while preventing discrimination.
The programme has received a large number of positive responses, whether from healthcare providers, helping professions or the public. At least 25 outputs have been published about the program in various national, regional or local media.
Summary of bilateral results
The goal of bilateral cooperation in the Mission 1000 project was share experiences and knowledge with the result in creation of comprehensive communication strategy, focused not only on the project result, but also on self, individual and systems advocacy. The donor partner, Norsensus Mediaforum, offered years of expertise in international projects, management and project development, for creation and maintenance of advocacy campaign preparation as well as support to strategic communication design and implementation. Their ability of storytelling was a very useful asset to catch the interest of the general public and different stakeholders.With the help of the donor partner, the Mission 1000 communication strategy was a huge success, with a very large number of positive feedbacks from various local and regional entities (such as helping professions, public bodies, medical staff, etc.) and wide public. An emphasis was given for building deeper relationship and wide networks, in the communities, on the local scale as well as on national scale. As an extension of the communication strategy, a publication was created, with achieved results of the Mission 1000 programme, as well as advocacy recommendations for other NGO, helping professions and healthcare providers.Based on our experience, we can say that bilateral relations are important as they emphasise building mutual trust and understanding between actors from different countries as the basis for securing positive, mutually beneficial, long-term, and sustainable transnational relationships. We would like to continue working with the donor partner on supporting the professional development of the core staff of both organisations and providing a platform to share experience and strengthen mutual cooperation.