Takum Relief
Women Refugee Healthcare Educators Program
Health Education in Refugee Communities
Because of the continuing conflicts in war-torn areas such as the Cameroons, refugees' well-being is quickly becoming an inescapable reality, impacting the health and personal hygiene of women and children especially. The Atem Foundation in collaboration with local health leaders provided training to 60 refugee community preventive health educators in Benue (30) and Cross River (30) States in Nigeria. Proper health care for refugees is an integral part of AF’s work. These health volunteers will teach their communities about the importance of preventive healthcare and enhance personal hygiene among women and young girls.
The training promotes the building of healthy communities through public health education initiatives and provides an opportunity for refugees to learn proper hygiene and healthy habits. Janet a volunteer stated “This training comes at a time when our women are hopeless and continue to go through the trauma of the war with several physical health challenges. I have committed to educate my peers so we can all be uplifted and stay healthy.”
Refugees, particularly women, face challenges in health care, resulting in poor health outcomes. Refugees flee their homes in a haste, leaving behind the dignity of being human because of armed conflicts, tyranny, human rights abuses, poverty, and environmental catastrophes. The consequences of being a refugee include short- and long-term physical and psychological suffering, including chronic medical conditions, depression, and post-traumatic stress reaction, exacerbated by the lack of access to preventive healthcare.
There is very little health education being undertaken in refugee communities and there also is a lack of community and refugee involvement in the promotion of healthy practices. Most workers involved in healthcare neither have the training nor have the time to devote to health education. There is strong consensus that health education is an essential component of refugee community healthcare. Women community health educators are essential actors to drive this within the refugee community.
AF is committed to promote the message of good health through interactive, hands-on training sessions for volunteers. We will increase programming in preventive healthcare and personal hygiene to build the dignity of refugees and provide them with a space to strive and expose their human potentials. We believe regaining the dignity of refugees is at the core of alleviating their physical and mental situation.
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