http://www.healthallianceinternational.org/index.php Blog Post en chateau@u.washington.edu Copyright 2012 2012-02-01T18:08:22+00:00 http://www.healthallianceinternational.org/blog/post/hai-is-the-2012-beneficary-of-washington-global-health-alliances-agency-ini/ http://www.healthallianceinternational.org/blog/post/hai-is-the-2012-beneficary-of-washington-global-health-alliances-agency-ini/ We are happy to annouce that HAI's Timor-Leste Mobile Moms Project is the beneficiary of Washington Global Health Alliance's "Agency" initiative for 2012.   HAI's "Mobile Moms" is a USAID-funded project that provides cell phone access to pregnant mothers in remote rural areas of Timor-Leste.The cell phones will connect the women with their midwives throughout their pregnancy and for six weeks after delivery while they care for their newborns. HAI is developing a set of weekly text messages that will promote a healthy pregnancy, such as reminding the women to have regular prenatal care visits, to eat well, and take their prenatal supplements. It will also allow them to call the midwife when their labor begins, so they don't have to give birth at home with only family members to help.     Agency will fund the purchase of 2,000 cell phones and texting plans for pregnant women in Timor Leste, which will expand the impact of HAI's "Mobile Moms" project   For more information about Agency and the 2012 benefit event, please visit their website. Timor-Leste, USA (Headquarters), Press Coverage, Primary Health Care, Reproductive and Child Health 2012-02-01T17:08:22+00:00 http://www.healthallianceinternational.org/blog/post/mobile-moms-liga-inan/ http://www.healthallianceinternational.org/blog/post/mobile-moms-liga-inan/ Health Alliance International is pleased to announce the launch of a new program “Mobile Moms—Liga Inan.” With support from USAID’s Child Survival and Health Grants Program and in partnership with Catalpa International and the Timor-Leste Ministry of Health, this new project seeks to reduce maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality in Timor-Leste by improving the health and care-seeking behavior of pregnant women through an innovative mobile phone project. Health Alliance International (HAI) is pleased to announce the launch of a new program “Mobile Moms—Liga Inan.” With support from USAID’s Child Survival and Health Grants Program and in partnership with Catalpa International and the Timor-Leste Ministry of Health, this new project seeks to reduce maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality in Timor-Leste by improving the health and care-seeking behavior of pregnant women through an innovative mobile phone project. Since 2004, HAI has been working with the government of Timor-Leste to implement programs to strengthen maternal, and newborn health services. Particular challenges to date have been in getting women to health care facilities for prenatal consultations, to give birth, and then for post-partum care. “We wanted to design a project in collaboration with the Ministry of Health that would increase the number of women accessing the facilities in the hopes that it would help their own health and that of their babies,” said Susan Thompson, Director of Timor-Leste Operations. The project, which will be implemented over four years from 2011 to 2015 in the districts of Manufahi and Ainaro, will employ a three-pronged, innovative approach to reach women. Women attending a first prenatal visit at a health facility will be linked up with a facility-based midwife and the Mobile Moms SMS messaging program. The women will receive SMS messages according to her estimated date of delivery. The phones will also be used as a vital link between the midwife, who will remind the woman of health appointments and good pregnancy health practices, and the pregnant woman, who can alert the midwife at the time of delivery or if any problems arise. Second, HAI will work in the community through family health promoters (PSFs) who will help to spark demand for health facility services and promote improved maternal behaviors through home visits. “The PSFs use photo cards and posters to get the messages across using local images so they can really relate to the women,” Thompson continues, adding that HAI will build upon past community health promotion successes with its Mai Ita Koko (Come Let’s Try!) and film programs. The third component of the project involves strengthening the skills of a district-based health care team to respond to basic emergency obstetric care. This completes the circle of care –women are encouraged to attend the health facility for pregnancy and birth care through the mobile phones and the work of the community health workers, and when they do arrive they will find trained health care workers able to respond to any situation with quality care. “This is an exciting approach, one that has been successful in other countries but not yet tried in Timor-Leste,” Susan Thompson says. “We plan to use operations research to closely monitor and assess the effectiveness of the Mobile Moms project and hope that it can be rolled out across the country in coming years.” If successful, Mobile Moms could make a big impact on the health of the Timorese people – and these experiences can be shared with other countries around the world. For questions please contact Susan Thompson, Director of Timor-Leste Programs at 206.543.8382 or via email thompssu@u.washington.edu. Timor-Leste, Reproductive and Child Health, Featured 2012-01-20T17:04:06+00:00 http://www.healthallianceinternational.org/blog/post/hai-timor-leste-receives-a-visit-from-the-governor-of-new-south-wales/ http://www.healthallianceinternational.org/blog/post/hai-timor-leste-receives-a-visit-from-the-governor-of-new-south-wales/   On December 20, 2011, HAI Timor-Leste had the great honor to welcome a delegation from The Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), including Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir, the Governor of New South Wales, to visit several HAI-supported sites.  Dr. Bashir is a psychiatrist who has done work in Thailand and Cambodia and received awards from a number of countries for her work in mental health.  She spent her time in Timor visiting a public health facility and a SISCa - Integrated Community Health Services event -- in Bazartete, Liquica district. "We support health facilities by providing coaching wherever the health worker needs it," said HAI staff member Filomena Mendonça, who accompanied Dr. Bashir.  "Sometimes that means extra training on maternal child health, or data entry, or post-partum follow up.  We support the SISCas because they take health services to the communities, closer to where people live." This was Her Excellency's first visit to Timor-Leste, and thanks to the strong collaboration between the Ministry of Health and HAI, the trip was a total success.  The Governor especially enjoyed seeing a SISCa in action and discovering the realities of accessing health care in rural settings.  Though much remains to be done to improve maternal and child health in Timor-Leste, these bridges between policy makers and the people most affected by those policies is a critical part in ensuring effective, sustainable programs. Parabens to the Timor-Leste team for representing HAI so well! Timor-Leste 2012-01-17T19:34:46+00:00 http://www.healthallianceinternational.org/blog/post/local-health-support-builds-better-lives-for-mothers-and-babies/ http://www.healthallianceinternational.org/blog/post/local-health-support-builds-better-lives-for-mothers-and-babies/ As we headed out for a health-focused field trip in Timor-Leste's central highlands, we were treated to almost all the geographical delights of the country. Read more here    As we headed out for a health-focused field trip in Timor-Leste's central highlands, we were treated to almost all the geographical delights of the country. http://blog.usaid.gov/2011/10/local-health-support-builds-better-lives-for-mothers-and-babies/   Timor-Leste, Press Coverage, Primary Health Care 2011-10-05T15:22:32+00:00 http://www.healthallianceinternational.org/blog/post/bouake-support-group-party/ http://www.healthallianceinternational.org/blog/post/bouake-support-group-party/ On Saturday, September 24, 2011, HAI had the great pleasure of attending a party to celebrate the support and solidarity that people living with HIV give each other in the Bouake community, On Saturday, September 24, 2011, HAI had the great pleasure of attending a party to celebrate the support and solidarity that people living with HIV give each other in the Bouake community, and brought together prominent leaders from the Ministry of Health, the local council of Bouake, other NGOs, and religious leaders.  More than 240 people living with HIV attended along with their families and friends.  The celebration was hosted by Bouake Eveil, a community based organization with which HAI has worked since 2007.  Its president, Mr Bourahiman Sidibé, spoke of the strong collaboration between our two organizations and how we share a longstanding commitment to the welfare and well-being of those affected by HIV.  Among Bouake Eveil's (which means "Bouake rise up!") many projects include the coordination of monthly support groups for those tested HIV-positive at local health centers.  The support groups provide a forum for people to share stories, provide psychosocial support, and access essential medical services and advice necessary to their continued well-being.  This party was a bringing together of support group members and their families to provide them a sense of solidarity and celebration. The party included songs, short skits performed by support group members as well as a local theater group, speeches and testimonials.  One woman living with HIV spoke eloquently about her experiences with the support groups, saying that thanks to her regular attendance, "I have found a confidence in myself I didn't have before."  A local imam spoke of the importance of the implication of religious leaders in the fight against HIV and AIDS and urged other religious leaders to speak out about stigma and to provide messages of prevention and hope.  Finally, a woman who discovered her HIV status 17 years ago gave her life's story, which brought thunderous applause to the audience, who were inspired by someone who lived so long and in such good health with her HIV diagnosis. This event was a great success, and HAI is proud to work with such amazing community based partners and such inspirational men and women in Bouake.  We'd like to thank the members of Bouake Eveil who made such an amazing celebration a reality!   Côte d’Ivoire, Field Report 2011-09-30T15:53:49+00:00 http://www.healthallianceinternational.org/blog/post/grace-incinerator-project/ http://www.healthallianceinternational.org/blog/post/grace-incinerator-project/ In 2008, HAI-Cote d'Ivoire started working with GRACE (Grandmothers for Race and Class Equality).  GRACE is a small Seattle based group of women, retired or nearly so. They are committed to connecting with and helping grandmothers and other women and children, in Africa, although it should be noted that they are all quite active in local Seattle causes as well!  GRACE contacted HAI because they were interested in connecting with some of the women in our service programs.  HAI-Cote d'Ivoire was a small program at the time with about 10 staff members working in three districts in central-north Cote d'Ivoire and it seemed like a great fit to make some personal connections between our staff and the women of GRACE. In 2008-2009, GRACE's first fundraising effort raised money to support purchasing new pink uniforms for midwives from our project area.  The idea for the uniforms project resulted consultations with Ministry of Health (MOH) staff in Cote d'Ivoire and the grandmothers here - a nice collaboration between what the midwives needed and what the grandmothers thought they could raise.  The project was a great success and about 35 uniforms were made by a local tailor and distributed. Not long after the uniforms project, GRACE was eager to start on another effort.  At that time, HAI's program in Cote d'Ivoire expanded to include scaling up integrated HIV testing and treatment services.  HIV tests involve a great deal of medical waste (needles, tests, gauze, etc) and most sites do not have adequate facilities for safe medical waste disposal. With the project expansion and new needs, the HAI staff in Cote d'Ivoire drafted a list of proposed projects which included the construction of incinerators.  After a discussion with GRACE, they decided to embark on this more ambitious project to raise funds to support the construction of an incinerator.  As with the uniforms project, the idea for building an incinerator was conceived both with MOH input and GRACE. GRACE's fundraising effort was amazing.  They held a few events, but the biggest one raised more than $5000 in one night (see a link to a previous blog post here).  It was a great event - HAI staff attended and told stories about our program there, and Ahoua, who was actually in Cote d'Ivoire at the time, joined the event virtually via Skype and gave a real time update from the field.  In late 2010, the country of Cote d'Ivoire experienced great turmoil following a contested presidential election, which sparked violence and tension throughout the whole country.  Banks were closed and the supply of cash became scarce in a very quick manner.  There was violence in Abidjan - where several of our staff members live - as well as in western regions of the country. There were also political demonstrations in the regions where our offices are located, but all of our staff members and their families made it through the conflict safely. So, given the political instability, funds for the incinerator project were available but the project had to be put on hold for about six months until the situation was stable enough to move forward with it.  HAI staff had several meetings with representatives of the Ministry of Hygiene to assess the best type of incinerator that was affordable by the funds raised. Finally in June 2011, with the support of the regional health director, construction crews began building the incinerator at Beoumi, a hospital in one of our districts.  Prior to this project, the hospital in Beoumi used a pit where hospital waste was deposited. The new incinerator has enough capacity to take care of all medical waste generated at the hospital, as well as other public health clinics located in the area.  We are very pleased to report that as of August 9, 2011, the incinerator is fully operational!  The community of Beoumi organized an official opening ceremony that included representatives from the Ministry of Health, the mayor, local chiefs and religious leaders, health workers, community members, and of course, HAI staff.  Steve Gloyd, the executive director of HAI, happened to be in Cote d'Ivoire at the time and attended as well.  It was a great celebration marking the completion of an international collaboration - one that will have a great and lasting positive effect of the residents of Beoumi. We'd like to take this opportunity again to thank the incredible dedication and passion of the members of GRACE, whose big hearts and big dreams continue to improve the lives of people living across the globe.  We also would like to thank the people of Cote d'Ivoire and the HAI staff who made this project a reality. Côte d’Ivoire 2011-08-25T20:12:44+00:00 http://www.healthallianceinternational.org/blog/post/hais-timor-leste-project-in-the-news/ http://www.healthallianceinternational.org/blog/post/hais-timor-leste-project-in-the-news/ Aid Netherlands posted a story entitled "Safer Birth Practices: A Must in Timor-Leste," recognizing Health Alliance International's efforts to improve maternal care in rural Timor-Leste.Aid Netherlands posted a story entitled "Safer Birth Practices: A Must in Timor-Leste," recognizing Health Alliance International's efforts to improve maternal care in rural Timor-Leste.    http://www.nl-aid.org/continent/south-asia/safer-birth-practices-a-must-for-timor-leste/ Timor-Leste, Press Coverage, Reproductive and Child Health 2011-08-15T20:05:10+00:00 http://www.healthallianceinternational.org/blog/post/hai-hosts-open-house/ http://www.healthallianceinternational.org/blog/post/hai-hosts-open-house/ HAI  was pleased to host anm Open House on July 25th. HAI was pleased to host an open house on July 25th.  Participants from the University of Washington's annual Principles of HIV and STI Research Course, as well as friends of HAI and the community, came for a chance to mingle and learn more about HAI's history and current work.  The course, which included four of our colleagues from Cote d'Ivoire, was two weeks long and attracted participants from 27 different countries.  A great time was had by all, with lots of good food and conversation as well as a presentation by Steve Gloyd. USA (Headquarters) 2011-07-26T21:28:49+00:00 http://www.healthallianceinternational.org/blog/post/presenting-new-research-on-birth-facilties-and-family-planning-in-timor-les/ http://www.healthallianceinternational.org/blog/post/presenting-new-research-on-birth-facilties-and-family-planning-in-timor-les/ Congratulations to Filomena Medonca and Juliao Soares, two of HAI's staff from Timor-Leste, on their tremendous job in their oral presentations at the "3rd Timor-Leste Studies Association (TLSA) Conference: Communicating New Research on Timor-Leste".  HAI is very grateful to Filomena and Juliao, for all their hard work and dedication presenting the research of two University of Washington MPH students.  The research of Norah Meyerson focused on conducting a situational analysis of the HAI-sponsored Birth Friendly Facilities in Timor-Leste, and Jennifer Berthiaume conducted an assessment of the community-based delivery of family planning services in Timor-Leste. Filomena, Program Officer for maternal, newborn care and family planning, and Juliao, Health Promotion Officer, represented HAI admirably at this two-day conference that was sponsored by the Timor-Leste Studies Association (TSLA).  TLSA is an international research network concentrated on all aspects of research in the country of Timor-Leste, including politics and history, economics, communications, health, language and agriculture.  In recognition of their efforts, ceremonial Timorese tais (woven clothes) were presented to both Filomena and Juliao by HAI County Director, Beth Elson.  All the conference presentations on a multitude of topics represent a great step forward in spreading more awareness about the important research done in Timor-Leste. Again, thank you and congratulations to Filomena and Juliao! HAI conference attendees Timor-Leste 2011-07-18T16:10:41+00:00 http://www.healthallianceinternational.org/blog/post/australian-leadership-award-received-by-hai-timor-leste-staff/ http://www.healthallianceinternational.org/blog/post/australian-leadership-award-received-by-hai-timor-leste-staff/ HAI is very proud of Paul and Evi and their selection for the highly respected ALA Fellowship program.  Health Alliance International would like to congratulate two of our senior Timorese field staff, Paul Vasconcelho and Tereshinha (Evi) Sarmento, on receiving the highly competitive Australian Leadership Award (ALA) Fellowship program!  Paul and Evi will leave for Australia in early July to participate in a twelve week program which is based in the University of Sydney’s Office for Global Health. Paul Vasconcelho has worked with Health Alliance International since the fall of 2004 and is currently the Health Promotion and Community Outreach Coordinator and leads the Health Promotion team.  Tereshinha (Evi) Sarmento has worked with HAI since July 2005, and is currently the Maternal/Newborn Care/Family Planning Coordinator and leads the Technical Team.  In addition to working full time at HAI and being awarded the prestigious ALA Fellowship program, Paul and Evi are also working to complete their Bachelor’s degree in public health at Peace University in Timor-Leste.  The main goal of the Health Leadership Program is to identify and train current and future health care, health management, health policy, and health education leaders from Timor-Leste.  The program aims to build capacity of Timorese through university-based training and short-term placements in Australia with the goal to strengthen the delivery of evidence based health care, management, education and policy within the health care system of Timor-Leste.  The ALA program is generously funded by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID). Over the course of the 12 weeks Paul and Evi will participate in course work at the University and will be placed in an organizational setting to work alongside Australian public health professionals. In collaboration with their academic mentors and professional counterparts they will design a health project which they will implement upon their return to Timor-Leste.  The experience, skills and tools gained during their fellowship will prepare Paul and Evi to be future leaders in the Timor-Leste health sector. During the fellowship in Australia, Paul plans to focus on improving his program management skills and his technical expertise in health promotion and behavioral change communication.  Evi, on the other hand, hopes to gain knowledge in international health and focus on leadership training in the maternal/newborn health and family planning field. HAI is very proud of Paul and Evi and their selection for the highly respected ALA Fellowship program.  We wish Paul and Evi all the best in Australia and look forward to hearing updates about their experiences in the program.  Congratulations Paul and Evi! Have fun Down Under! Timor-Leste, Field Report 2011-07-06T18:47:26+00:00