Health projects to be sponsored

Health is part of a child's fundamental rights so that he can hold his future in his own hands.

The Enfants du Monde's sponsorship programme reflects the objective for the sustainability of our actions. Indeed, it takes time to set up health projects and it cannot be planned as an isolated humanitarian action.

A sponsorship comes fully into play in this medium-term accompaniment of our health projects after at least one year and becomes an essential support to numerous children and their families.

Your support will become a reality and you will recognise the usefulness of your gesture when you receive a news bulletin twice a year about the activities undertaken and the progress of the projects you support.

Examples of our health projects:

BANGLADESH

EL SALVADOR

BURKINA FASO

BANGLADESH – The health of mothers and children is our major concern in the north of the country.

Rezia is a young mother of 2 daughters and is expecting her 3rd baby. 6 months into her pregnancy she has not seen a single doctor, she is eating an unbalanced diet and does not have access to drinking water. The question of a possible problem during childbirth has not been addressed! This notwithstanding, she is very interested in this health project financed by Enfants du Monde and would like to know more about how to look after herself, her future baby and her children, those within her family and her community.

The context:

The rural areas in Bangladesh suffer from a lack of human resources and materials in realms of health and education. The district of Netrokona in the north of the country is no exception to this rule, leaving little hope to families of small farmers, especially in improving the health of mothers and children. In 2006, according to UNICEF, almost 1 in every 2 children was underweight and the mortality rate during pregnancy was 320 deaths in every 100,000 women.

The Project:

Through its community development activities, Enfants du Monde's local partner PARI could rely on its wide network of groups of women in the district, in particular to organise health education workshops for the thousands of young women, mothers and expectant mothers as well as for their husbands and their family. The project helps them to prepare for the birth of their child and to detect and cope with the signs and cases of obstetric emergencies the best they can.

Furthermore, and in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and other non governmental organisations, PARI also participates in the training of medical staff that runs the health centres in this region, in improving the pre- and post-natal consultation service as well as informing communities about the health services available.

Enfants du Monde's role:

It consists of financing and technically supporting this project, by using the approach from the World Health Organisation of "Collaborating with individuals, families and communities in favor of maternal and new-born health".

This approach, known as IFC approach, aims at developing and reinforcing the capacities of individuals, families and communities to take better care of their own health. At the same time it improves the accessibility and use of health services.

More information: article published in the information bulletin, december 2008 (french version).

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EL SALVADOR – To reinforce the quality of the health system in the region of Sonsonate

Rosa Elvira Salazar takes stock of what she has learned during a round table discussion organised by the project: "I like being better informed about the violence on women and their children, on the different stages of pregnancy, on the methods of family planning as well as on the necessary care for expectant mothers and children, as well as the newborns and the older children. I learned a lot."

The context:

Health service infrastructures are limited in the rural areas of El Salvador: 1 doctor and 1 health centre for more than 30,000 people. According to UNICEF the rate of infant mortality of the under fives was 25 for every 1000 in 2006 (in comparison with 5 in every 1000 in Switzerland) and the maternal mortality rate was 170 in every 100,000 births in 2005, which is much higher than the national average. The Ministry of Health in El Salvador, in collaboration with Enfants du Monde, started to introduce some measures with its local partners in order to improve the situation, with notably the inclusion of a community health section in the national strategic plan for the improvement of maternal and new-born health.

The Project:

It consists not only in providing care and preventing diseases, but also in mobilising all the resources required in order to improve the health of mothers (more than 28,6000 are involved) and of children (more than 3,300 new-borns) living in 7 municipalities. Thus, the Concertación Educativa de El Salvador (CEES), Enfants du Monde's partner since 1997, the Ministry of Health and the Pan-American Health Organisation (OPS/OMS) have implemented the following interventions in order to significantly improve the quality of care:

- health education workshops,

- improving the preparation for childbirth and coping with cases of emergency,

- organising a transportation network to reach the health centres,

- emphasis on access to health education for girls.

Enfants du Monde's role:

Enfants du Monde plays a central role in this programme through its financing , but equally through its technical support. Enfants du Monde was already taking part back in 2004 in the initial thought process behind the national strategic plan. Currently, Enfants du Monde is working alongside the partners of this programme in implementing the approach of "Collaborating with individuals, families and communities in favor of maternal and new-born health", which developed from the World Health Organisation's mandate, the current General Secretary of Enfants du Monde.

This approach, known as IFC approach, aims at developing and reinforcing the capacities of individuals, families and communities to take better care of their own health. At the same time it improves the accessibility and use of health services.

More information: article published in the information bulletin, december 2008 (french version).

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BURKINA FASO – To improve the health of mothers and new-borns

At a health centre in the Saponé district the medical monitoring of pregnant women as for babies is organised around the follow-up of the pregnancy cycle, the weight, checking all vital organs, the motor skills and alertness and if necessary the vaccination of babies.

The context:

According to UNICEF in Burkina Faso, the maternal mortality rate is still very high: 700 maternal deaths out of 100,000 live births in 2005 when in Switzerland the rate is only 7. The child mortality rate for children under 1 year is up to 122 out of 1,000 live births in 2006, versus 4 out of 1,000 in Switzerland. The Health Minister has now not only involved himself in strengthening the health services, but also in the prevention and empowerment of individuals, families and communities in the improvement of maternal and neonatal health.

The Project:

By starting a community approach to health in 3 regions of Burkina Faso (centre east, centre north and the region of Cascades), it has impacted on more than 670,000 women before, during and after their pregnancy and on more than 135,000 new-borns who will have a better medical follow up.

Health education workshops are organised in the village to discuss hygiene, nourishment, family planning, AIDS and on problems specific to the health of mothers and children. Special attention is given to the preparation for childbirth , to training qualified staff for obstetric emergencies as well as to the access of these health services (transport, community healthcare insurance). Once the positive effect of this step is recognised, an extension of this approach is considered on a national level.

Enfants du Monde's role: