Young Mothers Project – Ba Series (Phase 1)
VSHC / CCOHSI Facilitators
Coordinator:
- Lauren Toll (Community Health Promotion Officer)
Facilitators:
- Mosese Baseisei (Project Manager)
- Amelia Ake (Project Nurse)
- Seremaia Koroi (Health Promotion Officer)
- Sr. Diakisi Daivalu (Project Nurse)
- Naina Rokocama (Social Worker)
Chief Guest:
- Sr. Luisa Lotawa - Sub-Divisional Health Sister
The workshop was held on October 30th at the Ministry of Labour Office, Koronubu House, Ba and was attended by fifteen young mothers and five Community Health Workers. The first speaker was Chief Guest Sr. Luisa Lotawa (Sub-Divisional Health Sister). She encouraged the mothers to ‘live, love and let go’ of any guilt, shame or regret they may harbour, which requires deep reflection, honesty and peace, and could be assisted by prayer, meditation or journaling. Sr. Luisa also highlighted that if any of the mothers were suffering from anxiety or depression that there was help available, and above all to let God take control as through God all things are possible.
Chief Guest Sr. Luisa Lotawa.
The participants were divided into small groups in which they discussed values, why they are important and how they relate to self awareness. Each group then presented their answers back to the room for discussion.
Naina defined domestic violence and split mothers again into small groups to discuss causes of DV and present these back to the group. Naina gave examples of ways to control DV in our homes such as stress management, controlling anger, maintaining healthy relationships, and self care. The discussion then focused on child abuse and what services were available for women in such situations.
Naina Rokocama discussing Social Issues.
Group discussions on values and causes of child abuse.
Amelia and Koroi then gave a presentation on STIs, Cervical Cancer, Pap Smear and Family Planning. Cervical cancer was then discussed in more detail as it is the second highest cause of death for women in the Pacific region, despite being preventable. The mothers were encouraged to have regular Pap smears with their zone nurse or local health centre, as the needs assessment findings showed almost all the mothers were either overdue or had never had one. An overview of female anatomy and where cervical cancer takes place was given, before discussion on signs and symptoms, risk factors and prevention measures.
Amelia Ake and Seremaia Koroi facilitating Reproductive Health session.
Sr. Daivalu then gave a presentation on childhood nutrition and feeding, and began with an explanation and examples of macro (carbohydrates, fats and protein) and micro nutrients (vitamins and minerals), before discussing suitable foods to give to children at different ages. The mothers were then split into small groups, with each one given a different age group between newborn and two years, to list some healthy food choices and present them back to the rest of the group.
Mosese Baseisei facilitating group feedback.
Sr. Daivalu discussing health childhood nutrition.
As the last speaker for the day, Sr. Daivalu recapped all the topics covered during the workshop. The CHWs were also asked to discuss amongst themselves how they will convey these messages to their communities, which they presented back to the group. Sr. Daivalu then led the CHWs and all those present to join in the ‘Reproductive Health Energiser’, which is a song with actions used as a fun, interactive method to talk about a topic that is often considered tabu (taboo). The song uses the concept of fruit to talk about breasts (papaya), pregnancy (watermelon), scrotum (guava), penis (banana) and sexual intercourse (fruit salad).
Sr. Daivalu leading the CHWs through the Reproductive Health Energiser.