As part of the project ” Help to Opportunities ” (acronym: H2O), co-financed within the Erasmus+ program of the European Union, a course on raising the health literacy of Roma was held in Thessaloniki (Greece) with the aim of training future Roma lay educators. Over 30 participants from 8 different European countries took part in the course. Representing Public Open University Čakovec, Melita Sekulić, Natalija Horvat and Elvis Kralj participated as course participants and Ivica Jeđud and Andrea Štefić participated as their language support. The course was held from June 12 to 16.
The H2O project is a transnational initiative made up of 9 partner organizations from 8 European countries. This initiative sees the promotion of a healthy lifestyle among members of the Roma national minority as a tool for reducing the degree of marginalization and discrimination. The project consortium consists of:
- Ljudska Univerza Lendava, Slovenia
- Razvojni center Murska Sobota, Slovenia
- Public Open University Čakovec, Croatia
- Amrita OBK, Hungary
- Educational and Cultural Community of Roma ” Romanipen “, Serbia
- Irish Creative Training and Innovative Development Center , Ireland
- Innercia Digital, Spain
- Previform, Portugal
- University of Thessaly, Greece
The main goal of the H2O project is to raise the health literacy of Roma through specially designed programs to equip Roma with the necessary skills and knowledge that they will disseminate as lay educators in their communities. The project also encourages individuals to take responsibility for their own health and the health of their loved ones.
“We are very committed to promoting a healthy lifestyle among members of the Roma national minority across all generations. We believe that through our project we will contribute to their health literacy and consequently affect the reduction of marginalization and discrimination they face,” said Dr. Ioanna V. Papathanasiou, associate professor at the University of Thessaly and one of the project coordinators from Greece.
The course in Thessaloniki attracted members of the Roma community from 8 different European countries who acquired skills and knowledge from the following topics through lectures, discussions and interactive topics:
- Roma population and health inequalities
- Social and cultural aspects
- Feelings of shame and anxiety of the Roma population
- Clinical ethnography of Roma
- Vaccines and immunization
- Vital signs: Methods of assessment and intervention in emergency situations
- Pain assessment and treatment
- Blood glucose monitoring
- First aid interventions
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
- Newborn care
- E-health
- Mental health assessment
- Stress management
Educational activities within the course were led by: Dr. Ioanna V. Papathanasiou, associate professor; Dr. Maria Malliarou , professor; Dr. Areti Tsaloglidou, associate professor; Dr. Theodosios Paralikas , docent; Konstantinos Koukourikos , lecturer; Dr. Stella Zetta, technical staff of the laboratory; Dr. Dimitrios Mantzaris, teaching staff of the laboratory; Theodora Apostolidi, RN, MSc, doctoral student, research assistant; and Irini Vafopoulou, MD, MSc , doctoral candidate, research assistant.
The education carried out will not only lead to the further development of social, cultural and civic competences among the members of the Roma community, but will also help foster trust in health systems, services and staff. After the course, participants of the Roma national minority were empowered with the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities to act as lay educators in the field of health issues in their communities.
For more information and news about the H20 project, visit https://www.h2oerasmus.eu/ .
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This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
