Help Rural Communities Access Healthcare in Peru

 Dear Supporters

GVI Dawasamu Fiji Health Programme began in January 2018 the long-term objective to assist the local District Nurse on the health issues concerning the District of Dawasamu in accordance with the Ministry of Health’s annual objectives for this District. The two key health areas identified for Dawasamu District:  

1. Education on how to prevent malnutrition of children aged 0-5yrs and the importance of nutrition for breastfeeding mothers.

2. Education on Preventative Health Measures and first aid 

The first objective -  To assist the District Nurse in educating mothers and mothers- to- be in the catchment area (which consists of 15 villages, with a population of approximately 2000) on how to prevent malnutrition of children 0-5 years and the importance of Nutrition for breastfeeding mothers.

Workshops and displays have been created using material produced by the Ministry of Health. The workshops are carried out every Wednesday at the mother and baby clinic. Before their babies’ check-up, mothers attend the workshops that are applicable to their baby’s age, resources and activities have been created to accompany the workshop, the activities are designed to be visual and to encourage mothers to participate. The collaboration between the GVI and the District Nurse means that the important information that mothers need to understand can be done in a conducive learning environment at the pace set by the mothers. On average the District Nurse will see between 40 – 55 babies every Wednesday, the clinic time is between 9.00 – 13.00, with this limited time it does not allow her to be able to discuss in detail each key message in the workshops. With GVI conducting the workshops, the District Nurse can discuss any areas of concern with the mother during the check-up, identify any guidance and support needed.

The District Nurse believes that the workshops are giving the mothers a better understanding of nutrition and are a contributing factor in the decrease in the number of malnutrition cases. In Fiji malnutrition is much more prevalent than it should be in a land filled with nutritious fruits, vegetables, and root crops and an ocean full of fish. Under-nutrition is the leading cause of childhood mortality in children under the age of five Those most at risk of malnutrition are children beginning complementary feeding at around 5-7 months of age. While for the first 6 months breastfeeding provides all the nutrients they need; after 6 months babies require healthy complementary foods to help them grow, children need to eat a balanced diet containing all three food groups. The workshops created target these areas and working together with the District Nurse, GVI hopes that there will be further decreases in malnutrition cases of children 0-5 years in the District of Dawasamu.

We would like to thank all donors who have contributed to our “Dawasamu Health Project” in Fiji. The success of mother and baby workshops as given us the template to be able to start work on the preventive health measures objective. By working in partnership with the District Nurse and involving the Community Health Workers the overall main goal  is ensuring that these projects are sustainable, through up-skilling, creating resources that are easy to use and get the message across through interactive activities and bring in the opportunity to have discussions and increase the communities understanding through education.

With Gratitude

Fiji, Health