the middle east project: israeli midwives 2009-10 presented by: gomer ben moshe
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The Middle East Project: Israeli midwives 2009-10 Presented by: Gomer Ben Moshe. Team includes:. 11 midwives social worker breast feeding counselor. July 2009. On going projects / work:. Professional Support for pregnant African refugee women - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
The Middle East Project:Israeli midwives 2009-10
Presented by: Gomer Ben Moshe
Team includes:
11 midwives
social worker breast feeding counselor
July 2009
On going projects / work:Professional Support for pregnant African refugee women
Collaborating with Palestinian colleagues creating on-going professional and personal contacts
Skin to skin project
Maintenance and logistics (weekly “skype” meetings, raising funds, hosting visitors)
Raising awareness to COHI’s activity & Creating new contacts (open house, radio interview, local meetings)
Plans for the future
Strengthen mutual project of Palestinian- Israeli midwives : meetings, sharing and producing professional knowledge
Empower local midwives’ group : organize steady meetings, keep group involved in planning and doing, SE workshop.
Collaborate with local organizations
Create national volunteer group for support for women who lack support
Continue work with refugee woman
by professional and political acts
Fund raising event & apply for grants
Professional Support for pregnant, laboring and postpartum African refugee women
The Arad ProjectArad is a small town located in the south if IsraelAs of summer 2009 inhibitsapproximately 1000 African
Refugees, with little or no
Social and financial support.
Some of the women work.
COHI & “Hillel” (a student organization)Are collaborating on this project.
coordinated by a social worker volunteer ,Professionally led by a midwife, the project includes: 1 .Bi- monthly meetings with pregnant women to promote health of both mothers and new-born
2 .Prenatal follow-up by midwife
3 .Same midwife is on-call for childbirth
This agreement was set with the hospital team enabling : formal recognition and better outcome & better experience for Mother + child
4 .A local group of nursing and medicine students volunteers to helps support the mothers in the hospital (group was established by coordinator) of Project
Strength of the Arad project:*Dedicated volunteers
*Strong community, supports needy; heads of community help project coordinating.
Weakness :*Growing community- will need additional
personnel.*Located far out in the south, lack of local
teamAnd far for most of COHI’s group (expensive traveling)
*Translation problem *Hard to organize meetings, lack of
communication
Plans for 2009-2010:*Add local midwives to project
*Find a steady solution for translations
*Maintain and establish relations with local forces: heads of community, local nurses in AradWho can add professional support
*Birth control education
Usafia shelter
In a small Druze village in the north is a shelter
that hosts women &
kids from the refuge's community
( 15-20 women )
Run by a private NGO
Short term solution for women who need support.
COHI collaborates with local NGO that runs the shelter on this Project:
Bi- monthly meetings with pregnant women to promote health of mothers ,new-born & kids
2 .Prenatal follow-up by midwives3 .Shelter staff or COHI volunteers
support the women through childbirth and first days postpartum
4 .Post-partum follow up by the midwives & breast feeding counselor.
5 .COHI supports the women by enabling on-call advice regarding health issues
What do the women want to talk about?
*Healthy life style for mothers *Prevention of home accidents
*Learning about childbirth in Israel*Birth control methods
*First 2 years nutrition for babies- toddlers
… and more!
Strength of Usafia project:
*Dedicated volunteers*Help from the shelter staff (including
translation)*Women and kids are taken care of,
socially and medically
Weakness of project:*Lack of community support
*Dependency on local NGO limits COHI’s professional and strategic actions, since all meetings are approved by shelter manager (subject and/or agenda might be changed or postponed )
Plans for 2009-2010:*Strengthen collaboration with local
staff*Add medical staff to team
*Follow- up women who leave shelter before 1 year post-partum
Plans for national work with refugees:
*Join the work around center of the country, led by another NGO.
*help raise political awareness to the issue
*Birth control education
Collaborating with Palestinian colleagues to create on-going professional and personal contacts
Mixed emotionsMixed emotions::Both groups are eager to meet .At the same time there are fear and hesitant .
The political/ Military situation between Israel and the Palestinian authority prevents us from meeting spontaneously (army check-points, need for permissions, closure).A meeting has to be planned in advance and depended on other NGOs.
Physicians for Human Rights from Israel go to the west-bank steadily .
Gaza is out of reach as of 2009
Plans for collaboration 2009-2010
*Mutual Meetings to get to know each otherFirst meeting in the beginning of August at Jenin.
*Sharing professional knowledge*Working together to promote midwifery
guidelines(from May 2008)
*Mutual research*SE or other post trauma treatment class
for all midwives together
Hopes LimitationsWe women want to talk Fearand get to know each Shameother.
Common professional Complex political Issues to deal with situation
Others have done it- Technical obstacles:Why not us… different
languages Where to meet
We also did it! First meeting in Israel, May, 2008
One wonderful way to keep up the good work and the wonderful mutual ability was started by this project:
Skin to skin project
Aisha & Lesley have started this project at May 2008 .
They have been to an international conference together!
Now they plan on spreading the word, how important is Skin To Skin. They want to continue educating professional personnel on this issue .
In Hebrew and in Arabic!
No Weakness!
A winning project!
Maintenance and logistics
*Regular contacts between coordinators and with other staff and team members.
*Update of online materials* Creating new contacts with local
supporters*Hosting Jessica Alderman (photography
project) was done by the entire group of Israeli midwives- traveling, hosting and trying to help as much as possible.
Hosting at Klil in the north
taking part in theV-day event
Raising awareness to COHI’s activity & Creating new contactsLocal & international NGO’s ,
Local organization, groups, press, embassies, friends & family
Planned activity:OPEN HOUSE- in Israel & PalestineRadio interview on a national stationFund raising- Planned event for fall
More plans:
Grant applicationOut-reaching for more local collaborations (feminist organizations, midwives’ association, etc.)Add new members to the Israeli team
Do Not say: “the day will come”
Be part of bringing the day!It’s not a dream !Everywhere you go -call out for peace!
(translated from an Israeli peace song )
Blessings for MIDWIFERY IN PEACE!
Thank you