Project REDES - Mother and child health program in Honduras
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The Red Cross encourages communities to work together to improve their health. | |
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REDES works with mothers to improve their overall health and on preventative health care issues, specifically the prevention of malnutrition.
Red Cross workers and volunteers educate mothers on nutrition, teaching them the best uses of local resources and what foods are and are not appropriate for their child at various ages. They are also taught about the diversification of local food and how to identify what to plant in home gardens.
In addition to nutrition, mothers learn to identify danger signs in children with regard to their health and are provided with a plan of action. Pregnant mothers are asked to visit a doctor once a month and taught the warning signs of possible problems with pregnancies and after giving birth.
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Through the creation of men’s networks, men are becoming part of the solution toward preventing maternal mortality. | |
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Authors Deborah Maine and Sereen Thaddeus in the monography Too Far for Walking: Maternal Mortality in its Context, establish that there are three types of delays that can be fatal for a woman who face complications during pregnancy or while giving birth. If treatment is provided early-on, the results are generally positive. However, many women in rural areas are hesitant to seek modern medical treatment, even in life threatening situations.
The three delays are:
- Delay in the decision to look for help by the individual, the family or both.
- Delay in getting to an adequate health attention facility, due to poor accessibility.
- Delay in receiving adequate treatment at the facilities due to a poor referral system and access to trained medical staff.
The Red Cross is working with fathers, husbands and entire families and communities to prevent these delays and ensure that women receive the care they need in a timely manner.
The support of the Canadian Red Cross, both financially and with personnel, strengthens the Honduran Red Cross and the local Ministry of Health. With more experience and expertise, these organizations will be better able to provide comprehensive healthcare for vulnerable communities in Honduras.
