Healthy Communities, SLOVAKIA 

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Country/partner countries
Slovakia

Project lead partner/organization and contact person (e-mail, links) project website
ACEC

Project information – start and end date (if available)
2003-present

Summary (goals and purposes of the project)
As an integral part of its educational activities, ACEC focuses on the preparation and application of education programmes and communication strategies for the vulnerable groups of society (the projects focus on the Roma minority in Slovakia).

The implemented projects are focused on supporting education and widening healthcare awareness in Roma settlements.
The aim of the activities of ACEC within the Roma community is to bring about the changes in attitudes and to support Roma interest and motivation with the respect to finding solutions to their own situations. Through the implementation of educational projects and healthcare awareness we support the development of human resources directly in the settlements themselves.

Short-term goals:

By the end of 2007, to re-vaccinate the selected risk group of adults with the vaccination Twinrix ADULT against Hepatitis A and B, I and II dose with a total of 9,668 doses. Moreover, to vaccinate children with the first dose of the vaccination Havrix 720 with a total of 1,700 doses. Connected to this is close cooperation with the assistants, doctors and UNION Health insurance, as well as the logistics of distributing the vaccination and its further use. Because of the demand, due to the differing situation in the field (a greater number of children and less adults and a jaundice epidemic of children in the village of Rakusy), only a total of 11,368 doses will be given.

Within the project, “Healthy Communities”, up to 10.10.2007, the following were re-vaccinated: 4,403 children (HAVRIX 720) and 2,048 adults (Twinrix ADULT), total 6,451 inhabitants of Roma settlements.

Long-term goals:

In the long-term horizon, to organise the completion of the vaccination of the risk groups, which did not receive the vaccination in 2007. To organise the continuation of the project in future years and its spreading into a greater number of settlements and with this the connected organisation of healthcare assistants and coordinators, as well as the material-technical and personnel organisation. Through project activities, to strengthen the building and development of human resources in settlements, to improve the health status of the Roma population and to create the conditions for the permanent maintenance of improvements to the quality of life of the inhabitants in the settlements.

Results of the project
The basic results are mainly: up to 100% inoculation locally, in very good cooperation with paediatricians and general practitioners (102), going to preventive check-ups, saving several lives, regular awareness and the improvement of the whole health-care situation of the inhabitants of the settlements in which we work. These results are the proof of a very good level of the daily work of the health care assistants and the coordinators in the field (71).

We are convinced that the building and development of human resources directly in the settlements is the necessary condition for the successful implementation of any kind of project in the existing conditions of Roma settlements. Because of this, the condition which we set for ourselves at the beginning of the project was that all education and enlightenment activities in the settlements will be implemented with the inhabitants of these settlements who will be directly and actively involved in the project.

We expected the end result to be the increase of their motivation and supporting interest in solving the situation in their own area and the support and development of community life. Despite the fact that this condition was shown in practice, due to the low level of education of the inhabitants of the settlements, and the specific living conditions, we decided to continue according to the set goal and to find a way to strongly support the human potential which we come across.

Who will benefit from this project (target group)
Besides the primary target group (Roma population of children), the project “Healthy Communities” concentrates on the secondary target group, the health care assistants and coordinators. The health care assistants are, to a greater extent (98%), Roma women inhabitants of the settlements. In isolated settlements with somewhere up to 100% unemployment, their work has a significantly strong and positive effect on the whole community.

Sources of funding
ACEC

Link
http://www.acec.sk/en/projekty/healthy-communities-slovakia-2003-present

Document - materials that incurred in the project
http://www.acec.sk/en/projekty/healthy-communities-slovakia-2003-present