The Healthcare Initiative – When you empower a woman with knowledge, it benefits the whole community.
In 2020, it seems appropriate, that this was the year we set up our healthcare initiative.
Poverty is a complex issue, so we work collaboratively with our sister partner in Togo to develop a programme based on the needs of the community and which will ensure long lasting, sustainable change.
Together with our partner, IADES, we have created a programme which involves facilitating 240 workshops and training on malaria and waterborne diseases prevention, importance of ante-natal care, family planning, treating wounds and preventing infections, dangers of self-medicating and women’s rights among others.
The project aims to deliver vital healthcare workshops, training and support to 600 households. Indirectly benefiting the lives of 3,600 people living in poverty. Empowering communities with the knowledge to keep their families safe by making informed decisions to improve their health.
Each beneficiary will be given the opportunity to attend a series of 12 workshops to learn potentially life-saving skills.
Women in rural Togo often carry the burden of healthcare; they give up work and school to stay in the home and provide care for their families. They often have little knowledge of symptoms or treatments, and face huge financial obstacles which prevent them from accessing even the most basic healthcare, or from making decisions about their own health. This increases the risk of serious illness that comes from self-medicating or from lack of treatment altogether.
The extreme poverty that exists in Togo disproportionately affects women, as they are not granted equal opportunities for work and education.
Because of this, 70% of training workshop attendees will be women.
Malaria, neonatal disorders and waterborne diseases remain the leading cause of illness and morbidity in children under 5.
Waterborne diseases is still one of the leading contributors to infant mortality, with one in forty children not living past their first month of life.
The training will give community members the opportunity to increase their awareness about causes of illness and to be able to easily recognize the symptoms of the most common diseases, learning how to protect their families and save lives using the promoted preventative practices and treatments.
The healthcare project not only improves healthcare education but works to overcome the cultural barriers which have previously prevented individuals from seeking help.
The training will help to build trust in public health workers and teach beneficiaries about the healthcare system and how to access it, increasing their confidence when seeking advice from a healthcare professional. This helps to create a positive attitude towards diagnosis and treatment, which in turn, will encourage them to seek help earlier.
Another important outcome from the healthcare initiative, will be the increased number of girls who now have the opportunity to stay and finish secondary education.
According to UNICEF, 44.5% of Togolese women between the ages of 15 and 24 years old, cannot read or write.
With an education, they will have many more opportunities along with a voice in their communities and they will have a brighter and healthier future.
