Tala and Hala are third-year students in the Faculty of Education. They work with Medair as community health workers (CHWs). In this photo, they are on a visit to one of the households in Tal Salhab area in Hama as part of their work to raise awareness among the community members about crucial topics, such as personal hygiene (mal)nutrition for children under five and pregnant women, regular vaccines for children, and the importance of breastfeeding. ©Medair/Lubna Zarzour
“It’s been a valuable experience for me,” Tala said, her voice brimming with enthusiasm. “The Medair team trained us for a month before starting our daily door-to-door visits, and now we’re helping to raise awareness among our community members.”
Tala and Hala were pleased with their work when they finally reached their last house of the day. Both 21 years old and third-year students in the Faculty of Education – Department of Psychological Counselling, they were in their fourth week of serving as Community Health Workers (CHWs) with Medair when we met with them. Their minds were filled with the weight of the day’s experiences.
Medair had enlisted 25 CHWs to operate in the Tal Salhab area of Hama governorate, the project’s designated location. These CHWs were organized into 12 groups, each supervised by one leader overseeing their tasks. Every group had the responsibility of visiting all the houses in their assigned area, ensuring comprehensive coverage of all homes in Tal Salhab.
“Following the selection of the community health workers and before starting their daily door-to-door visits, the CHWs undergo a comprehensive training program,” explained Doctor Nagham, Medair’s health officer. She continued, “It begins with initial training sessions covering chronic diseases, followed by raising awareness about communication skills, reproductive health, and psychological first aid. The training is concluded in refresher sessions aimed at imparting monitoring and evaluation skills.”
Tala, Hala and the other 22 community health workers (CHWs) are attending the training sessions that the Medair health team conducted on the 10th of September, a month before the CHWs started their work. The CHWs were employed by Medair Syria to be part of a project in the Tal Salab area in Hama. The project aims to raise healthcare awareness among the Tal Salhab community members. ©Medair/Lubna Zarzour
During every week of the program, each group conducts 15 visits to engage with community members. These visits include talking with family members, filling out detailed forms to gather medical histories, and determining the specific messages that relate to their situation – ranging from personal hygiene to malnutrition for children under five and pregnant women, vaccinations and the importance of breastfeeding.
“It’s been a valuable experience for me,” Tala said, her voice brimming with enthusiasm. “The Medair team trained us for a month before starting our daily door-to-door visits, and now we are contributing to raising the awareness of our community members.”
Hala agreed, saying, “Meeting with people made me notice the importance of our work. I’ve observed that many individuals underestimate the severe consequences of neglecting medication for common conditions like high blood pressure. Our work aims to educate them about the critical nature of maintaining timely medication intake and visiting the primary health centre when needed.”
“It is their fourth week for Hala and Tala working with Medair as Community Health Workers (CHWs). This photo was taken during a visit to a woman’s household in her third month of pregnancy. Tala and Hala are examining her by mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) exam to check if she has malnutrition” ©Medair/Lubna Zarzour
Tala and Hala know the significance of their work. As they looked at the house in front of them, they were excited to meet a new family and converse with the members of the house to identify the key messages that suit their health conditions.
Medair’s work in this project enhances the lives of community members in Tal Salhab area in Hama. It covers a thorough training for 25 community health workers to raise awareness about healthcare and 3 community midwives to carry out two weekly community outreaches providing basic reproductive health services to pregnant women.
A special thanks goes to EO Metterdaad, who make Medair’s work possible, and whose financial support is crucial to the success of this project.
” Tala and Hala 21 years old. They were employed by Medair in a project in Hama as community health workers (CHWs). After a month full of comprehensive training sessions with the Medair health team, the girls have started their duties. They arrived at a new house during their series of door-to-door visits in Tal Salhab area in Hama governorate, spreading important messages and raising awareness about healthcare among community members.” ©Medair/Lubna Zarzour
Medair’s work in Syria is made possible by, SHF, ECHO and EO Metterdaad and generous private donors like you.
This content was produced with resources gathered by Medair field and headquarters staff. The views expressed herein are those solely of Medair and should not be taken, in any way, to reflect the official opinion of any other organization.
