Maternal and child health
ACDA has started working in the health field since 1993, whereas Its first activity was health& environmental awareness for measuring the improper community practices regarding health and personal hygiene. But soon, most activities extended to focus on maternal and child health.
In 2000, ACDA received several funds for implementing projects aim to maternal & child health care and reduce the mortality rate among mother during delivery and Postpartum as well as reducing the mortality rate of newborns and malnutrition.
ACDA also implemented a project aimed to reduce child and maternal mortality rates in Assiut Governorate focusing on Abnoub district, as recommended by Human Development Report. That project worked on improving the health services and supporting the quality of the health services in the health units as well as enhancing the Family health practices by improving the health status of women, children and marginalized groups.
The strategy of the project was increasing the involvement of the community in taking the decisions of Local Health Services Administration through partnership with governmental bodies & CDAs, providing training workshops for raising the efficiency of the health team in the Health Directorate to be qualified to apply the family health toolkit as well as carrying out advocacy and lobbying activities with Ministry of Health for promoting and publishing the toolkit.
ACDA has also established a Specific Union of NGOS working in the health field to unify efforts in addressing health issues and influencing decision makers.
ACDA also paid attention, through various projects, to building the capacity of doctors, supervisors, nurses and rural woman pioneers in the field of integrated care for the sick child.
- Building the capacity of members of the Specific Union of NGOs working in the health field in the topics of health projects management and identifying & planning the community.
- Providing health education sessions to pregnant women regarding mother& child health and the importance of health insurance services for children under 5 years of age.
Providing medical comprehensive examination on children under 5 years of age.
Following up pregnant women registered in health units for giving advice.
Implementing medical campaigns and periodic examination to women and children.
establishing educational classes for prospective spouses.
Implementing community meetings to discuss health problems facing the village.
carrying out interviews with the media to unify the media messages related to maternal and child health and publishing them in the visual and audio media.
Implementing round tables to discuss the issues facing boards of directors of Health Units and Maternal and Child Care, in order to improve the services provided to children through networking, alliances and advocacy campaigns
School Health
The school health program aims to increase the availability of quality school nutritional health services to disadvantaged groups and remote areas by providing health and therapeutic services to raise the health level of students as well as improving the quality of the learning environment by making the school clean, safe and equipped for people with special needs.
Moreover, enhancing student’s health knowledge and behaviors by doing a periodic examination to them and raising their awareness of the importance of health insurance services.
Developing systems and policies to support school health through:
- Seminars to introduce the health insurance services to the community.
- Health education session to raise the awareness of the students of proper nutrition and personal hygiene.
- Medical campaigns for the children in schools.
- 4 government schools participated in the International Hand washing Day.
- Carrying out “your own doctor” initiative for investigating children’s health problems.
- Implementing child camps in order to provide them with physical health, develop human relationships among them, and help students grasp concepts such as taking responsibility and self-reliance.
Hepatitis c
ACDA tackled the problem of the rapid spread of hepatitis C &B, by implementing “Let’s face a coming epidemic” . That project aimed to improve the health and environmental condition of the families in Assiut through:
- Raise awareness of the targeted groups (girls – women – men – youth – children) regarding facts about the disease.
- Establish a medical center for early detection and providing counseling.
- Refer beneficiaries to the health services providers.
