November 8-12 marked a field visit to SRD’s project on Supporting Ethnic Minority Communities to Adapt to Urbanization; located in Chieng Chung and Chieng Khoang, Tuan Giao, Dien Bien. The purpose of the field visit was to conduct community consultations and consult with the local and district health departments regarding knowledge on first aid and maternal health prior to the development of instructional handbooks on the two topics.

 Women map out priorities in maternal health to present and explain to the community participants

The consultations demonstrated the community is invested in improving their knowledge on first aid and maternal health and that they felt these topics were of particular importance; the results demonstrated interest in responding to first aid emergencies such as traffic accidents, burns, drowning, excessive bleeding and seasonal health changes. The consultations regarding maternal health showed an interest in learning about nutritional guidelines for pregnant women, guidelines on seeking medical care from professionals, caring for children in early infancy, and post-partum health. This information was confirmed by district health professionals who generously volunteered to provide feedback on drafts of the handbooks.

Following the consultations, a training course  on CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation)  and emergency first aid was developed for 25 interested participants from Chieng Khoang and Chieng Chung villages. The training course acknowledged the importance of traditional practices and the benefits of using proven first aid practices and taught participants proper care regarding CPR, bleeding, burns, broken limbs, shock, and the importance of self-protection. The training course also discussed what important items to keep in home first aid kits and how to develop appropriate first aid practices and materials from readily found items. Participants were quick and eager learners who practiced their skills throughout the course and openly asked questions and discussed past traditional practices and the ways in which they compared to the first aid skills taught in the training course.

Personally this trip marked my first opportunity to participate in and explore community level implementation of projects with SRD and it was an opportunity to remember. The consultations in the villages had incredible participation and interest from the community members who openly discussed current knowledge regarding first aid and maternal areas and areas that they felt needed improvement. The involvement of community members was encouraging and demonstrated strong ownership over the project and strong investment into developing results that would benefit the entire community. This experienced showed the strong relationships that SRD builds with the communities at the grassroots level which help to develop strong, sustainable programs that will maintain their impact and benefit for many years beyond the lifespan of the project.

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