Health Clinics in the Marginalised Yatta District of the West Bank
24 June 2008
'Sometimes just attending here to the lectures, you can find solutions for problems that you might not dare to ask any one. Also talking among the women, you will learn from their experience''
(Nora, 24, Beneficiary)
The Project
This project, conducted in partnership with Ard El Atfal (AEA), began in 2007 and has been improving the health status of the Palestinian children and families through sustainable curative and preventive programs in the field of nutrition and community health.
It is aimed at improving health care services provided to women in one of the most neglected areas of the West Bank; Yatta town and surrounding villages in the Hebron District, which has a population of about 60 thousand people, half of whom are women.
MAP of Yatta Area with checkpoints/closures (OCHA)
"This is a successful, trusted clinic, and the changes brought about by increased health awareness using Positive Deviancy approach are unique and sustainable. The need is great; last year we undertook a rural survey of health in villages across the West Bank and in one village 50% of children tested were suffering from anaemia. The sad fact is that the conditions in this village are by no means the worst. Many rural communities are on the front line of isolation and neglect. There is almost no access to other health services in these remote communities".
Ard el-Atfal Project Coordinator
Thanks to continued support from MAP's donors the project is ongoing and has already:
•Increased access of women to health services they should receive, by increasing the number of clinic duty days in Yatta area. These clinics in Yatta are staffed with qualified personal & available for 6 days a week, making the services more accessible to beneficiaries.
•Provided antenatal and postnatal care to women in the area of intervention and increase their utilization of the services - reaching 40% of pregnant women in Yatta area during the project period. This mean increased number of screened women of child bearing age in the clinics - especially during the antenatal phase as well as the reduction of the accompanied illnesses based on the early detection of their problems.
•Increased women's awareness in regards to female health issues including adolescent and menopausal periods through a structured health education programme. This reinforced health practices such as exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of the child's age.
''I had four children before attending here, now I know things about women's health I did not realize before, this time I am more confident.''
(Huda, 28, AEA Beneficiary)
The project also included many activities such as provision of direct medical care in the health centre, and many preventive activities such as health awareness sessions during clinic work and community sessions during home visiting in the different neighborhoods.
Closer ties with the community have also helped to improve AEAs ability to target the neediest families within the community and to provide social care and support that goes beyond purely clinical services.
''AEA are strengthening us as women''
(Neda, AEA Beneficiary)
MAP has been looking to advance and expand the project, in a review with AEA staff they felt that they were accomplishing a much more holistic and comprehensive service than before: not just looking at maternal and child health, but also sexual and reproductive health and a wider area of support to child health, their programme going beyond the mandatory 0-3 years of the Palestinian Ministry of Health, to look at 0-5 years.
