In 1989, the Republic of Benin was facing a great social and
economical crisis. Civil servants of all the sectors in public
administration were on strike. People did not know where to
go for their health care. Salaries were not paid for more than
six months and life for the general population wa...s very dificult.
The country was about to degenerate into civil war as a
result of the civil unrest in the country.
Thanks to the assistance from the French, and Canadian
and American Mennonite missionaries, the Bethesda Health
Centre was started in 1990 with US$ 1,000 granted by theses
partners. Today, the Health Centre of Bethesda has expanded
and has become a large Hospital in Cotonou. It hosts each
year about 100,000 patients and has developed the department
of paediatrics, ophthalmology, stomatology, cardiology,
obstetrical gynaecology, X-rays, etc. The Hospital has also
put in place an AIDS service which has been promoted by the
government to the status of an AIDS Treatment Centre.
In an integrated vision, Bethesda has established other departments.
In 1993, the Sanitation department was established
to implement sanitation and environmentally-friendly
projects aimed at reducing the high incidence of some diseases
frequently treated at the hospital. In 1996, the decision
was made to establish a micro-inance department called
PEBCo. This initiative, which currently has 10,000 clients,
uses community savings to promote income-generating activities.
Since many women were obliged to use the loans for
family needs (health care, children schooling, etc.), they were
unable to reimburse them as planned. Hence the Bethesda
non-government organization (NGO) recently began an initiative
to provide a community-based health insurance option
for the population in 2006. There are now 12,000 members.
This paper focuses on the presentation of Benin and the program,
but also describes how the project could be better improved
and what were its beneits and impacts.
Field Actions Science Reports
The journal of field actions
Vol. 4 | 2010
Vol. 4
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Abuses by ArmThis report is based on research in Catatumbo in April 2019. We interviewed more than 80 people, including abuse victims, their relatives, community leaders, church representatives, human rights officials, local authorities, judicial officials, and members of humanitarian and human righ...ts organizations working in the area. Some interviews were conducted in Cúcuta, the capital of North Santander province, and by telephone. We also reviewed official reports and statistics, publications by nongovernmental and international organizations, and written testimony given to government officials by almost 500 victims of abuses committed in the context of the armed conflicts.ed Groups Against Civilians Including Venezuelan Exiles in Northeastern Colombia
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This toolkit will help you to plan and run an event that helps to change the way that people in your community think about, and behave towards, people with mental health problems
As of 21 March 2019, a total of 250,000 people are reported to be affected by the floods in nine districts. An estimated 48 per cent of the affected population is under 18 years of age.
There is limited road access in the Chimanimani, the worst affected district.
An estimated 60,000 children are ...in need of immediate protection services, and 100,000 children are in need of welfare and civil registration services in nine flood affected districts.
Initial estimates indicate that 54 classrooms from 114 schools have been affected by the floods, impacting about 30,000 learners. Over 5,000 households have been reached with critical WASH Hygiene kits in affected districts.
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Social network-based HIV testing is an approach for engaging sexual and drug injecting partners and social contacts of key population members with HIV and of those who are HIV-negative and at ongoing risk in voluntary HTS.
By addressing people’s confidentiality concerns and broadening the reach... to social contacts, social network-based HIV testing approaches can improve the acceptability of partner services among key populations and so reach more people who may not otherwise test for HIV. WHO now recommends that social network-based HIV testing approaches can be offered for key populations
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Diseases that spread easily have always been around. Sometimes these diseases spread from one person to another person. Sometimes they spread from animals to people. Other times, they spread through germs in the water, soil, food, or air.
Some diseases can be prevented or controlled with a vaccinat...ion, like measles. Other diseases may not have a vaccine or drugs to treat them. Because of this, it is important to prevent the spread of diseases.
Last Reviewed Date: 2020-03-18
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Policy brief, 24 July 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected older people disproportionately, especially those living in long-term care facilities. In many countries, evidence shows that more than 40% of COVID-19 related deaths have been linked to long-term care facilities, with figures being as h...igh as 80% in some high-income countries. Concerted action is needed to mitigate the impact across all aspects of long-term care, including home- and community-based care, given that most users and providers of care are those who are vulnerable to severe COVID-19.
This policy brief provides 11 policy objectives and key action points to prevent and manage COVID-19 across long-term care. Its intended audience is policy makers and authorities (national, subnational and local) involved in the COVID-19 pandemic. The brief builds on currently available evidence on the measures taken to prevent, prepare for and respond to the COVID‑19 pandemic across long-term care services including care providers
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On 30thJanuary 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the People’s Republic of China to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) under the international Health Regulations. The following day, the Italian Governm...ent declared a state of emergency, stopping all flights to and from Chinese airports. 1.2On 7th April the foreign, interior, transport and health ministers signed a decree under theInternational Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue stating that Italian ports could no longer be classified as places of safety for foreign naval units, including NGO-run migrantrescue ships, operating outside the Italian Search and Rescue (SAR) area. Despite the national lockdown and the closure of ports to international rescue vessels in the Mediterranean Sea, small ships departing from Libya and Tunisia have continued to sail towards the Italian coastline. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), during the period 1stJanuary –12thApril, 2020 there were an estimated 3,229 sea arrivals in Italy
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Over nine years of protracted and violent conflict in Syria has decimated its health system,killed an estimated 586,000 people and forcibly displaced more than half the 22 million pre-war population from their homes. As of June 2020, a total of 6.2 million Syrians (of whom 40% are children) are inte...rnally displaced (IDPs) and 5.5 million are refugees. Over half of Syria’s population (11.7 million) are in-need of humanitarian aid across the whole of Syria
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Caregivers provide invaluable service and support to patients in health facilities. In many health systems, caregivers (often members of the patient’s family or friends) are responsible for providing basic care for a patient, including providing food and drinks, cleaning clothes and bed linen, as ...well as supporting basic activities for daily living, such as washing or using the toilet. Small children and infants who are dependent on caregivers for performing essential daily activities require similar assistance while being treated in a health care facility. Such care is also a priority for people approaching the end of life, as patients and relatives increasingly spend time together at this critical stage.
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The WHO country office for Ghana, began the year 2019 with a 4-day staff retreat at the Busua Beach Resort in the Western Region from 04 to 08 March 2019. The theme for the retreat was ‘Impacting the Health and Lives of the people of Ghana through the Triple Billion Goal”. The staff outlined pri...orities and strategies to strengthen WHO’s contribution to the national health agenda during the year. Working in collaboration with the Ministry of Health/Ghana Health Service and other allied health institutions and stakeholders, the WHO country office, provided support aimed at achieving its
mission which is attaining the highest level of health by the people in the country though its six operational areas which are (i) Communicable Diseases (ii) Non-Communicable Diseases, (iii) Promoting Health through the Life Course (iv), Health Systems, (v) Preparedness, Surveillance and Response (vi) Corporate services and enabling functions.
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Healthy maternal nutrition, exclusive breastfeeding, and optimal infant and young child nutrition are critical for appropriate growth and development, as well as reducing the risk of developing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), for both mothers and children. On 7–8 November 2018 the WHO Regional Of...fice for Europe convened an international conference of key stakeholders to discuss good practices and share experiences on these important issues.
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he Western Pacific is the world’s most disaster-prone region. When a disaster occurs, people may need to seek accommodation in a disaster evacuation shelter. However, it may be difficult for people in a disaster evacuation shelter to avoid confined and enclosed spaces with poor ventilation; crowde...d places with many people nearby; and close-contact settings, such as close-range conversations. This document outlines key considerations and strategies that should be considered for the establishment of a disaster evacuation shelter in the context of COVID-19. In particular, considerations and strategies as outlined for the preparedness, response and recovery phases of disasters.
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The early prevention project “Strong together!” supports refugee parents and their young children (0–4 years) in Berlin, Germany. It aims to mitigate the transmission of trauma to the generation born in exile. For refugee families who have only recently arrived in Germany, the COVID‐19 pande...mic poses a particularly great challenge. Not only are they confronted with numerous challenges in respect to rebuilding their lives in Germany after fleeing war and persecution, but are also vulnerable to conscious and unconscious anxieties, fantasies, and conflicts evoked by the pandemic and the threat it poses to their lives. This was observed in the context of the mother–child groups of “Strong together!”
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This report - the largest of its kind to date - draws on the experiences of over 8,500 women and 300 health professionals across eight countries. It exposes the aggressive marketing practices used by the formula milk industry, and highlights impacts on families’ decisions about how to feed their b...abies and young children.
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In Paraguay, 1.8% of the population are indigenous people. The Maká community
29 mainly live in urbanized areas in the Central Region. This study focuses on the epidemiology
30 of tuberculosis (TB) among indigenous Maká and the non-indigenous people living in the
31 Central Region, the biggest ...metropolitan area of the Paraguay.
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Human schistosomiasis, a parasitic and often chronic illness, is one of the major neglected tropical diseases worldwide. It is estimated that 240 million people suffer from schistosomiasis, with more than 200000 fatalities recorded each year. Schistosomiasis is caused by an infection of the blood fl...uke Schistosoma and is transmitted to humans through direct contact with infected water.
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Food security, human health and wellbeing largely depend on biodiversity. Biodiversity supports agriculture through ecosystem services such as pollination and water purification, and provides access to natural medicines,
which are the primary source of health care for 4 billion people worldwide
WASH in schools during a cholera response is important due to the strong correlation between WASH and IPC. Not only can it impact the health and well-being of students and staff but also facilitate the potential spread of the disease via the congregation of children and adults from multiple househol...ds. Hygiene can often be more difficult to control with young children and therefore efforts to put in place systems to encourage good practices are essential.
To prevent the spread of cholera in schools, it is important to have clean and safe water sources, proper sanitation facilities, and good hygiene practices in place. This includes providing clean drinking water, hand-washing stations with soap, and education on hygiene and sanitation practices and implement Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) including dissemination of Information, Education and Communication materials (IEC).
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The PS Centre has released three publications addressing the need for MHPSS tools and guidance in Ukraine and surrounding countries.
The Introduction to Psychological First Aid, presents a training module on basic psychological first aid skills for people affected by the international armed confl...ict in Ukraine which can be delivered in four hours. It is an adaption of another PS Centre publication, Training in Psychological First Aid for Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Module 1. An introduction to PFA.
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