Health Education & Awareness for the Roma

The Health Education & Awareness for the Roma project (HEAR), aims to address the prevention of child abandonment and their placement in institutions, especially focusing on at-risk Roma pregnant women and their families. Utilizing both education and counseling components to address issues surrounding placement, HEAR seeks to increase community awareness about pregnancy planning, parenting expectations, and how to access support services. The HEAR project seeks to identify mothers who are at-risk for not being able to care for their children. Single mothers lack the social and financial support of married mothers and are therefore at greater risk of placing their child in an institution. Also families with low socioeconomic status struggle to provide adequate care for their children and will also be a focus of the HEAR program. A local prenatal clinic will help identify single pregnant women and at-risk mothers by partnering with HEAR. Also, a Roma Community advocate will make program referrals by reaching out to the women who haven’t received prenatal care. The HEAR program is new and unfamiliar to the Roma women. As an incentive to the women who participate in HEAR, free prenatal care will be provided by health care workers. Also, free maternity clothes will be provided by donations. Lastly, a free meal will be provided for each day of the workshop. The counseling component will consist of two pieces. First, a community support group will be established. This group allows mothers to share experiences, feelings, and information regarding pregnancy, children, and personal expectations. When a group leader emerges, she will be provided with guidance and support in coordinating future meetings Community support allows an open forum to normalize life experiences and provide peer counseling for difficult decisions. Second, individual counseling will be provided by a social worker for each woman. The social worker will work with each person to address the specific situation in her life and regarding her pregnancy. The social worker will also make appropriate referrals to social services. Finally, the education module focuses on providing practical advice. Planning for the future includes learning about labor and delivery and managing expectations for the post-partum period. Family planning will address reproductive choices and pregnancy prevention tools. Health of the Infant focuses on caring for a newborn and the baby’s first needs. Topics will include appropriate food for an infant and caring for a special needs baby. It is our hope that by partnering with social workers and educators who are Roma or work closely with the Roma will help create a stronger message and build community support for the program. Culturally informed materials are integral to creating a productive program that supports Roma values and traditions.