INMED Partnerships for Children News

INMED Andes recognized by UNFPA for work with Peruvian youth

INMED — Mon, 13 May 2013 17:31:29 +0000

INMED is proud to be included in a recent fact sheet released by UNFPA Peru, recognizing INMED Andes’ partnership in addressing adolescent health in indigenous communities in the Ucayali region as part of the 2012-2016 Regional Youth Plan.

Based on strong performance delivering other reproductive health education programming in the region, INMED was selected as a partner to directly deliver adolescent health activities in indigenous communities. INMED is implementing programs focused on the intercultural health issues between the Shipibo-Conibo and Ashaninka communities and the central health system, including gender violence, sexual and reproductive health, and adolescent issues focused on health and human rights. Local INMED staff are working with youth and families in their native languages to integrate modern life-saving healthcare with traditional practices and beliefs, impacting more than 15,200 adolescents and 1,200 other women of reproductive age.

The fact sheet, The Young People in Ucayali, points to the necessity of INMED’s programs in the region:

25% of the population in Ucayali are young people between ages 15-29, and 24% of them are poor.
27% of women in the region are pregnant before age 20, compared to 13% across the rest of the country.
1 in 3 women between ages 15-29 have been victims of physical or sexual violence in a past relationship.

A digital version of the fact sheet is available for download in Spanish at the UNFPA Peru website: www.unfpa.org.pe/juventuducayali

About UNFPA

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is the world's largest multilateral source of funding for population and reproductive health programs. The Fund works with governments and non-governmental organizations in over 150 countries with the support of the international community, supporting programs that help women, men and young people and delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.

INMED Launches Adolescent Reproductive Health Initiative in Jamaica

INMED — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 18:40:52 +0000

On April 10, leaders from Jamaica’s Ministries of Health and Education, the mayor of Trelawny, and a representative of MSD (Merck) in the Caribbean joined INMED to formally launch the new Community Health Awareness for Adolescent Reproductive and Maternal Care (CHAARM) program at Falmouth Hospital in Trelawny, Jamaica.
INMED's youth health aides are reaching out to their peers in Trelawny to promote resproductive health and positive choices.
The CHAARM project, implemented by INMED with support from the Merck for Mothers program, will raise awareness of critical adolescent maternal and reproductive health issues and increase access to care among high-risk youth in Trelawny Parish, which has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the country.

“More than one in every four births in Trelawny are to teens, and yet adolescent pregnancy remains associated with such stigma in Jamaica that more than half of pregnant teens do not seek early prenatal care, putting them and their babies at risk for complications,” says INMED President Dr. Linda Pfeiffer. “Through the CHAARM program, we can reach both male and female adolescents with relevant, judgment-free education on a wide range of reproductive health issues to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, and link them to vital health services when they need them most.”

Trained youth health aides will carry out community-based outreach, education and a mobile health campaign, disseminating information as the first line of defense in preventing high-risk teenage pregnancies and ultimately adolescent maternal mortality. The health aides will serve as the entry point into communities, churches and schools for communicating information based upon national priorities and approved curricula to reach a large number of pregnant and non-pregnant teenage youth, as well as parents and community members, in order to dispel myths and overcome stigmas associated with teenage sexual activity and pregnancy.

Western Regional Health Authority Medical Officer Dr. Lisa Wisdom shares her perspectives on the importance of the program for Trelawny's youth, while other speakers and dignitaries look on. From left are Trelawny Mayor Garth Wilkinson, Senior Education Officer Allison Cooke-Hawthorne, CHAARM Project Coordinator Venisha Brown, MSD Policy and Communications Director Vanessa Lugo, Dr. Wisdom, and INMED President and CEO Dr. Linda Pfeiffer.

Health in Action Program Wins Prestigious Brazilian Prize

INMED — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 16:59:39 +0000

INMED’s Health in Action program, which works to improve the health and nutritional status of children in nine Brazilian cities, won the 6^th annual Ozires Silva Prize for Sustainable Entrepreneurship in the category of Entrepreneurship in Education.

The program is implemented by INMED Brasil in partnership with Mondelēz International, with the support of local governments, to promote nutrition and hygiene education among children; train teachers, cafeteria workers and community health workers in heaThe Health n Action team with the Ozires Silva prizelth, nutrition and environmental education topics; and establish vegetable gardens, among other activities. The program is also supported by Johnson & Johnson, which donates deworming medicines for all of INMED’s programs in Brazil.

"This prize is especially important for two reasons,” says INMED Brasil President Dr. Joyce Capelli. “It demonstrates recognition of the educational activities that are at the foundation of all social transformation, and it reveals the significant results that are achieved when partnerships among corporations, civil society organizations and government come together in a systematic way.”

For Mondelēz Brasil’s coordinator of social responsibility, Giselle Sigel, the prize is meaningful as well. “It is a great honor to receive this recognition for a project that promotes improvements in the quality of life in the communities where it works,” she affirmed.

Learn more about the 2013 Ozires Silva prize here. See page 17 for a video of the award recipients, including a statement from Dr. Capelli (beginning at 5:35).

About Health in Action

The Health in Action program, implemented by INMED Brasil and funded by the Mondelēz International Foundation, with the support of the municipal secretariats of Health, Education and Supply in each location, began in April 2010. The program diagnoses and treats intestinal parasitic infections and anemia, delivers nutrition and hygiene education, and builds school gardens for students in public schools.

Currently, the program involves 120,000 children ages 5-14 in 435 schools in nine cities in Pernambuco, Paraná and São Paulo states, and has also reached approximately 540,000 family and community members through the program activities.

Health in Action by the Numbers

3 states and 9 cities (in Parana: Curitiba; in São Paulo: Bauru and Piracicaba; in Pernambuco: Recife, Vitória de Santo Antão, Pombos, Chã de Alegria, Moreno, Jaboatão dos Guararapes) reached
447 schools and 168,000 children ages 5-14 involved
8,092 teachers, 1,209 cafeteria workers and 4,820 community health workers trained
241 gardens constructed in 106 schools, 7 communities and 128 households

About the Ozires Silva Prize

At the national level, the Ozires Silva Prize is awarded in the categories of Economic, Environmental, Educational and Social Entrepreneurism. The Prize is an initiative of the Brazilian entity Instituto Superior de Administração e Economia do Mercosul (Isae-FGV), in partnership with the Grupo Paranaense de Comunicação (GRPCOM), SEBRAE-Paraná, and Itaipu Binacional.

The patron of the Prize, aeronautical engineer and former president of Embraer, Ozires Silva, created it to recognize entrepreneurial initiatives in Brazil that thrive even in an environment that may be unfavorable to new businesses.

Volunteers Needed in Peru

INMED — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 19:14:58 +0000

INMED Partnerships for Children announces a volunteer opportunity in indigenous communities in the Amazon rainforest region of Peru, where we have established three maternity waiting homes (casas de espera). These guest houses, built near properly equipped health centers, help ensure that late-stage pregnant women from remote communities are close to quality obstetrical care when labor begins.

INMED is in need of up to three certified nurse-midwives who speak Spanish and can dedicate at least six months of service. The position’s main responsibilities include:

Educating women of childbearing age on reproductive health issues and the importance of prenatal care, through home visits and community-based forums
Promoting the benefits of institutional births as an alternative to home births with untrained attendants, while maintaining respect for indigenous cultures and practices
Attending labor and delivery and monitoring postpartum health for women and infants who stay at the maternity waiting homes
Performing Pap smears, STD exams and various other minor gynecological procedures
Coordinating educational activities and obstetrical practice with local health center personnel

The volunteer will be responsible for personal expenses and associated travel fees.

To apply for the volunteer position, please send your resume and a cover letter to contact@inmed.org. Please include in your letter why you are interested in volunteering and what you hope to accomplish.

For more information about the position and personal perspectives on the experience, explore the blogs of INMED’s previous nurse-midwife volunteers on our website at www.inmed.org/blog-volunteering-in-peru and www.inmed.org/maternity-waiting-homes.

Putting Health into Action

INMED — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 14:44:05 +0000

See how children in Brazil are putting health in action through this new video produced by Kraft Foods Brazil, highlighting how this successful program is improving the health and nutrition of more than 165,000 children, transforming perspectives on healthy eating, and bringing communities together for positive change. Health in Action is a partnership program of INMED and the Kraft Foods Foundation.

Join the Fun for a Great Cause

INMED — Fri, 25 May 2012 19:15:13 +0000

INMED Partnerships for Children is proud to be the local beneficiary of Primrose School of Ashburn’s 2012 Spring Fling charitable fundraising event. INMED supporters in the Loudoun County area are invited to join us on Saturday, June 2 for fun family activities for a great cause!

GFWC DC Woman’s Club and EasySundays Partner to Support INMED

INMED — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 01:54:41 +0000

INMED has been a partner of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC) since 2010, and it has been very exciting to watch clubs mobilize to raise money for and awareness of the issues faced by vulnerable children.

It is therefore with great pleasure that we announce that the GFWC District of Columbia Woman’s Club, a charitable, intellectual, philanthropic, social, and civic organization promoting the betterment of the Washington DC community through volunteer service by women of all age, and EasySundays, a nonprofit based in Belgium aiming to unite people around Sunday brunches to socialize, enjoy food, and support charitable causes, are partnering to bring together people in Washington, D.C. to support the work of INMED Partnerships for Children.

The Sunday brunch event, the first that EasySundays is holding in the city, will take place on April 15, 2012 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at GFWC Headquarters located at 1734 N Street NW, Washington, D.C. Tickets can be purchased online. All proceeds will go to INMED, so please spread the word to friends and family and come out to show your support.

2012 Loudoun County Employee Giving Campaign: February 27 – March 16, 2012

INMED — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 15:20:48 +0000

Calling all Loudoun County employees: the 2012 Loudoun County Charitable Contribution Campaign is kicking off on February 27, 2012, and we need your help!

Please support INMED’s vital work by going to www.pledgefirst.org/LoudounCounty, signing up as a user and selecting INMED Partnerships for Children from the charity directory in the “Browse Charities” section.

INMED has served the Loudoun County community since 1994 through a range of free, voluntary family support services. Partnering with the County has been crucial to the success of our work, and we are confident we can count on your individual support of Loudoun’s most vulnerable children and families.

For more information, please contact Maria Elena Vasquez-Alvarez, director of Loudoun Programs, at mvasquez@inmed.org or 703-729-4951 ext. 218. To learn more about the employee giving campaign, please visit the campaign’s frequently asked questions page.

Support Restoration of Funding for Healthy Families

INMED — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:05:04 +0000

Families in Virginia, including those receiving assistance from INMED's MotherNet/Healthy Families Loudoun program, need your help.

Governor Bob McDonnell has proposed MORE cuts to Healthy Families, proven home visiting programs that reduce the number of babies born too early, prevent child abuse, teach low-income parents how to be their child's first and best teacher, and to ensure that children start school healthy and ready to learn.

Legislators haven't heard enough about Healthy Families funding.

Please call your Virginia delegates (House Appropriations Health and Human Resources Subcommittee) and senators (Senate Health and Human Resources Subcommittee) today and ask them to restore funding for Healthy Families home visiting programs.

Ask delegates to support restoration of funding for Healthy Families Item#3431h.

Ask senators to support restoration of funding for Healthy Families Item#343#10s.

Thanksgiving Dinner: Learning, Laughter and Good Food

INMED — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:33:34 +0000

On November 22, 2011, participants from INMED Loudoun Programs’ educational groups gathered with their families and program staff to celebrate Thanksgiving. Special thanks to the Leesburg Police Department and Spanky’s Shenanigans who generously donated the food for the event. Members of the Loudoun Programs staff summarized the evening's events in the following account.