Reflecting on the success of the ‘Care in Hand’ program in Suriname
In 2019, we started our collaboration with Stichting Perisur and together implemented the ‘Care in Hand’ program in Suriname. This program aimed to strengthen the capacity for health professionals and community workers, and provide information for pregnant women and mothers of newborns. The three pillars of this program are blended-learning training for health professionals, blended-learning for community workers, and the LUCY maternal health app.
LUCY 2.0: growing bigger and better!
Since March 2020, the LUCY maternal and neonatal health app is being implemented in Suriname in collaboration with Stichting Perisur and funded by the UTSN Twinningfaciliteit under the wings of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In September 2021, a new version of the app was launched to better meet the needs of pregnant women and parents of newborns.
Lockdown and virtual workshops
Unfortunately, COVID-19 cases have been spiraling in Suriname over the last couple of months resulting in a complete lockdown at the end of May when infections kept on increasing and the IC units reached their maximum capacity. Luckily, the number of infections is now gradually declining, but the lockdown remains.
“You realize you are the key for change”
You realize you are the key for change. This truthful and inspirational quote can be applicable to almost anything in life, but in this caserefers to a testimony of a community health worker (CHW) in Suriname who participated in theHealth[e]Community blended e-learning training, developed and facilitated by Health[e]Foundationand Stichting Perisur. During an interview this participant […]
Postgraduate training opportunities for community workers in Suriname
Community workers have an important role in giving health information and support to their communities. In Suriname, community workers are employed by social & community-based organizations active in fields varying from supporting marginalised groups in disadvantaged neighbourhoods to providing first-line care in rural areas. Despite the different scopes of these organizations, there is one overarching need: the need for postgraduate training for community workers.
Research on the Suriname project during COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic with its restrictions demands us to adapt our activities, especially when it comes to face-to-face interaction, and implement creative alternatives. As distance learning experts, we manage to come a long way.
Health[e]Foundation and Stichting Perisur sign for a 2-years Twinning project on mother and child care in Suriname
Good health care is essential for all. But the access to and quality of care are often lacking in countries with poor or medium economic status, including Suriname. Statistics about mother and child care are unfavorable. Maternal mortality (death during pregnancy up to 42 days after delivery) of 120 per 100,000 live-born babies was reported in Suriname in 2017. Approximately 10,000 babies are born every year in Suriname, of which one in five has unfavorable birth outcomes. These figures are high compared with countries in the region.