Health Training for Mothers in Mountain Villages
Those villages seem far away, but actually, they are situated only 20 km outside of Tirana. The road is rocky and narrow, and it takes over 1 hour to reach them by car. There are only 2 busses: One to Tirana in the morning, and one back to the village in the evening. This makes going to a hospital in an emergency very difficult.
What happens if a child gets sick at night, has a fever, a rash, an injury? The next bus leaves in 8 or 9 hours, and the road to the hospital is long. How can the sick be kept alive and emergencies managed well until the arrival at the hospital?
Mothers living in the village need to know what to do if their child is sick and there is no doctor available, so ADRA Albania spent the last 6 months providing Health Training to mothers of children between 0 and 6 years of age.
We provided an “emergency box” which contains a Thermometer and Paracetamol suppositories against a fever, wound care material, disinfectant, and other medication that every household needs to have in order to treat emergencies at home. It also contains a small book which explains common children’s diseases and how to manage them, and also the right way to measure the temperature and to look after a wound.
Suzane our Health Educator and Lindita our nurse spent 2 afternoons each week in the villages and explained to the mothers how to use the box and what to do when their children are sick.
Of course we cooperated with the local staff of the Health Centres and the doctors and nurses appreciated our project very much.
Engjullushe of Heraj has a 2 year old baby and was very scared when it had a temperature once which was 40°C! Thankfully, she had the box ready and knew what to do – she measured the temperature, and administered the right medicine straight away, preventing her child from the serious consequences of a fever cramp.
Filxhane of Tapizë has 5 children, and being Roma they face very different Health Problems. She was so happy that somebody actually explained to her all about children’s sicknesses. By giving her the knowledge, she got the self-confidence to see the doctor when needed and does not panic anymore when one of her children has a small injury.
Through our project ADRA Albania empowered women to contribute to the prevention of diseases and taught them how to keep their children healthy.
