Category: News

New medical equipment in Moldova

Posted on by Redazione Cuamm

Accurate hospital equipment in critical areas is essential to ensure the safety, accuracy and reliability of medical care. Medical devices play a crucial role in the continuous monitoring of patients, the accurate administration of medications, the performance of surgical interventions and the efficient response to emergency situations.

For this reason, CUAMM UK has recently donated medical equipment and devices to the Institutul Mamei și Copilului (IMAC) in Chișinău. IMAC is the only Level III center in Moldova and serves as the main referral point for complex neonatal cases. Thanks to the donation, the facility is now equipped for the first time with a therapeutic hypothermia system, a life-saving technology for treating critically ill newborns. This modern technology will support the facility and its staff in the management of neonatal emergency cases making a real difference in the lives of the most vulnerable newborns. Every year, the hospital handles emergency cases from across the country, with a high rate of post-birth transfers from lower-level hospitals that lack adequate intensive care units.

The donated equipment will provide significant support to the IMAC Neonatology Department, ensuring an invaluable impact on the quality of care.

The handover of medical equipment took place last week in a official ceremony in Chișinău. Various partners and stakeholders participated in the meeting, including representatives from the Ministry of Health, Lorenzo Tomassoni – Ambassador of Italy to the Republic of Moldova, Sergiu Gladun – Director of the IMSP Institutul Mamei și Copilului, Olga Vidaico – Head of Department Neonatal Intensive Care, Institutul Mamei și Copilului, AICS Kyiv representative and the project partners from Caritas Moldova.

The project goes beyond just providing equipment as it entails a training component. As part of the CUAMM project, seven neonatologists from IMAC have completed specialized training on how to use this technology, ensuring a lasting impact. Training healthcare personnel is essential to strengthening the local healthcare system and making sure this intervention has a tangible effect on the quality of care.

The CUAMM project is part of the R.I.S.E. Ukraine project, led by Doctors with Africa CUAMM UK and funded by The Italian Agency for Cooperation and Development (AICS)aiming at providing an inclusive, integrated, and multisectoral humanitarian response to victims of the conflict in Ukraine and Moldova, ensuring safe and equitable access to essential, life-saving basic services.

 

 

Everyone has the right to grow up healthy

Posted on by Redazione Cuamm

Moms and dads, everyone in the family should eat the right portion of food to grow up healthy.

For a few weeks now, on the outer wall of Cainde health center, there has been a large, colorful mural with a bright blue inscription that says, “Moms and dads, everyone in the family should eat the right portion of food to grow up healthy.” We are in a small municipality in the Namibe province, southern Angola.

Painted by local artists, the mural depicts a woman holding a newborn baby, surrounded by her family: two men and two children. Each one has their own portion of food: funje (traditional food made of cassava flour), chicken, and vegetables. However, in reality, this rarely happens in the rural communities of Namibe, where cultural traditions are compounded by food scarcity caused by drought, which renders the land dry and hinder the chance to cultivate.

Here, more than anywhere else, raising awareness about nutritional education is crucial, and a vibrant mural can help convey the message. Yet, it is equally essential to reach the most isolated groups, identify cases of malnutrition, refer them and support health centers with food kits necessary for children in treatment.

This is what CUAMM does every day, together with our local partners, to ensure food security for communities and, above all, healthy growth and development for children.

CUAMM’s intervention

Promoting food security in Namibe province is one of the goals that CUAMM, together with FEC and Caritas Angola, has been pursuing over the past two years. This effort includes community-level screening and awareness activities, as well as support for healthcare facilities in the Virei municipality.

Since the project began in December 2022, 140 mobile health clinics have reached nomadic and semi-nomadic communities in nine different villages, offering nutritional screenings and facilitating the referral of patients with severe and moderate acute malnutrition to health units for therapeutic programs.

As part of the initiative, 10 health units have received monthly supplies of food kits for children with malnutrition and for pregnant or breastfeeding women in vulnerable conditions. Educational campaigns have also been organized at various times in schools and health centers to raise awareness about nutrition, breastfeeding, malnutrition, vaccination, and hygiene. These sessions have also included cooking demonstrations in the municipalities of Virei and Cainde.

To amplify these messages and reach an even wider audience, local artist Sanduaya has spread awareness through a song, performed in schools, health centers, and other gathering places.

In a region highly vulnerable to prolonged droughts, recognizing the link between environmental crises and health is key to providing a sustainable and effective response over time. With this perspective, bringing healthcare services closer to local populations through outreach strategies—such as mobile clinics—becomes essential.

 

Moldova managing neonatal complications in rural areas

Posted on by Redazione Cuamm

Gabriela is 43 years old and works as a medical assistant in the neonatology department at Edinet hospital, in northern Moldova. The facility serves one of the most urbanized areas of the country. With an average of 1,300 deliveries per year, of which 200 involve complications, the hospital is one of the most efficient in the region. Yet, a team of only 17 people including doctors, specialists, and nurses work there under consistent straint.

In 2024, there was a significant number of premature births. Despite the difficulties, the staff is now undoubtedly responsive and prepared to act in different scenarios, as Gabriela says:

“We are prepared for cases where, for example, the baby inhales amniotic fluid: the team acts to suction the fluid, insert a venous catheter for antibiotic treatment, and in severe cases, perform a gastric lavage. We are used to handling these situations, and the team works harmoniously and efficiently. However, if the baby is born prematurely, the situation becomes more complicated”.

The management of critical newborns is a challenge for the health team at Edinet since the hospital is not equipped with a intensive care unit. To transfer patients to Chisinau, where the only intensive care unit is, an ambulance from Balti must be mobilise. The vehicle drives 80km north to reach Edinet, then it covers 200km to get to IMAC Hospital where the baby can finally receive adequate care.

This is how the system works in many areas where rural hospitals have little means to properly assist their patients and the distance from Chisinau hinder the provision of timely care.

“Recently, I dealt with a premature birth of a newborn weighing 0.7 kg. It was morning, and I was on duty with a neonatologist, an obstetrician-gynecologist, and a midwife. I worked with the team to manage the initial emergency until the mobile intensive care unit arrived. Fortunately, the baby responded well to stabilization! But for us, it’s always a stressful moment because we know that logistical difficulties can have a huge impact on care. However, I remember it was a beautiful day, it hadn’t rained, and the roads were in good condition, so we knew there wouldn’t be any delays”.

The lack of specialized doctors and health workforce puts an additional strain on the healthcare system in Moldova. At the neonatal ward in Edinet Hospital there is only one neonatologist.

That morning, as Gabriela recalls, the doctor arrived just in time yet, had he not been available, Gabriela and her colleagues would have been able to perform all the steps of the emergency algorithm. The training offered through the project has indeed given the staff the competencies to respond more effectively to challenges, reduce stress levels, and organize better teamwork.

As part of the Emergency Call to Support Ukraine, funded by AICS with €46.5 million, CUAMM is supporting 7 second-level hospitals in the neonatal emergency stabilization and resuscitation.

Gabriela fondly remembers the two-day training, during which local trainers and the Italian doctor shared the new findings from the Neonatal Stabilization Guidelines and organized both theoretical lessons and practical sessions to simulate various emergency situations in the delivery room. In addition, by participating in the training course Gabriela and her team gained essential competencies like taking blood samples from the baby to determine oxygen saturation levels. This is particularly important in difficult deliveries, where the mother’s contraction forces are weak, and the baby experiences a traumatic birth.

“By measuring oxygen saturation, we can detect potential hypoxia or other trauma, but in my opinion, it also gives us an idea of how much the baby suffered during delivery. This is incredibly important to me because, in addition to guiding us on how to manage the situation, it reminds us that newborns, from the very first seconds, have an intense emotional experience of the world”.

Over the last year, Doctors with Africa UK has supported medical and health staff across Moldova with 8 training sessions on neonatal emergencies and stabilization aimed at facilities of different levels. Starting with a Training of trainers in Chisinau, the activity was later expanded to seven additional facilities. As a result, an overall number of 100 health workers have been trained.

This activity is a part of the RISE project: Integrated Response to Support the Emergency in Ukraine. Our project is part of a 46.5 million euro initiative funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, reaching 900,000+ people affected by the Ukraine crisis.

 

Where obstetric emergencies are a race against time

Posted on by Redazione Cuamm

Faith arrived at Matany Hospital, Karamoja region, northern Uganda, on the verge of giving birth. It was her second pregnancy.

When she arrived at the hospital, she was admitted for gastroenteritis and a urinary tract infection. CUAMM team began treatment, and after four days, Faith’s condition improved. But just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, her membranes ruptured.

Labor was expected to begin soon after, but the contractions didn’t start—not even 48 hours later.

An ultrasound revealed that the baby was healthy, estimated to weigh over 2.2 lb. However, the amniotic fluid was scarce, and the risk of infection was real. In this situation, the possibility of intrauterine fetal death couldn’t be ruled out.

“We had to help Faith give birth – said Claudia Ciglioni, a gynecology resident -. Unfortunately, we couldn’t give her medication to induce contractions because the uterine scar from her first delivery might have caused a dangerous rupture”.

The only option for this young mother was a second cesarean section, she had already undergone one to give birth to her first child. Unfortunately, that same afternoon, two obtetric emergencies, far more critical, arrived at the hospital and the medical team decided to intervene immediately. In a low-resource setting, where resources are limited, and qualified staff scarce, difficult choices must be made. With adeguate care and observation, Faith might have waited.

“I was worried about the complications caused by her ruptured membranes, which had already been broken for two days – Claudia explained -. I had dealt with similar cases before, and sadly, if you don’t act promptly, saving the baby becomes very difficult. So, I decided not to wait and took Faith to the operating room at the end of the day”.

Adhesions from Faith’s first pregnancy made the cesarean more complicated than expected. Shortly after hearing her baby’s cry, Faith starting bleeding severley.

Postpartum hemorrhage is a serious and dangerous complication that requires immediate treatment. If not managed promptely by qualified personnel in a hospital’s theatre room, it can be life-threatening.

Faith was fortunate. Thanks to essential medications and the expertise of the medical team, the bleeding was quickly controlled. Faith’s story has a happy ending, thanks to the commitment of doctors and nurses who assisted her.

To date, too many women still die during pregnancy or from childbirth-related complications: approximately 280,000 globally, the majority in sub-Saharan Africa. In Uganda, the maternal mortality rate stands at around 284 per 100,000 live births—a number we aim to reduce to zero. Day after day, year after year, we work tirelessly to promote the health and well-being of mothers and children.

 

NICU International Workshop in Addis Ababa

Posted on by Redazione Cuamm

International health experts, specifically pediatricians and neonatologists have recently gathered in Addis Ababa on occasion of the NICU International Workshop held by Doctors with Africa CUAMM in collaboration with Union of European Neonatal and Perinatal Societies – UENPS, The Ethiopian Pediatric Association – EPA and the Ethiopian Ministry of Health at the Italian Cultural Institute. During the international workshop, the Minister of University, Research and Higher Education in Arts and Dance, Senator Anna Maria Bernini – who was on a diplomatic visit to Ethiopia, payed a visit to the ongoing meeting accompanied by the Italian Ambassador to Ethiopia, Mr. Agostino Palese.

The two-day scientific workshop brought together international experts and healthcare staff from 42 Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs), as well as representatives from regional health offices, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, and the WHO. The goal was to strengthen clinical and methodological skills to improve neonatal survival in Ethiopia.

“This workshop is a great opportunity for exchange and training – explains Fabio Manenti, Cuamm Program Manager –. The discussion space we have managed to create, involving the world’s leading neonatology experts, along with the dynamic participation that has emerged, demonstrates not only the strong interest in the subject but also the willingness of Ethiopian colleagues and professionals to engage.”

The workshop is part of a project implemented by CUAMM and designed based on a Survey on Delivery Room Resuscitation and Neonatal Respiratory Care in NICUs in Ethiopia conducted by UENPS. The results from the survey have been presented by Prof. Moretti – UENPS Director General and examinated with the health professionals attending the event in a plenary discussion. Needs analysis and expected results have been identified by representatives from health facilities of different level during the focus group.

“As Cuamm, our commitment is now to support the implementation of these plans. The challenge remains finding alternative and adaptable strategies for a country like Ethiopia, where most newborns are either born at home or in centers with poor levels of care” concludes Fabio Manenti.

In this regard, training health professionals is crucial and it is precisely within this perspective that a 2-day course for trainers (Training of Traineers – ToT) was held at the Black Lion Hospital on January 30 and 31st, following the workshop. 20 Ethiopian neonatologists got involved in Neonatal Resuscitation Course for Trainers, the activity merged pedagogical components and group exercises on clinical practice. The newly instructed trainers will in turn engage a wider number of health professionals in additional training activities unlocking a trickle-down effect that enables staff in charge of maternal and child health and neonatology departments to provide essential and advanced care adequately. The final goal of the ToT is to build a pool of experts qualified on neonatal care at national level.

Moreover, by engaging the Ministry of Health (EFMoH) and fostering collaboration with the Ethiopian Society of Pediatrics (EPS) and international experts of the Union of European Neonatal and Perinatal Societies (UENPS), the project aims to establish sustainable partnerships and facilitate national and international exchanges that will bolster the entire neonatal care system in Ethiopia.

The event is part of the “Strengthening Neonatology in Ethiopia” project, funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation which supports neonatal intensive care services at Shire Suhul and Black Lion hospitals through advanced training for healthcare professionals and the development of intervention protocols based on the latest scientific evidence. The project is expected to directly benefit at least 160,573 newborns and 160,573 pregnant women.

 

Validated plans for the management of medical emergencies

Posted on by Redazione Cuamm

Effectively and promptly managing emergencies is crucial, especially when it comes to obstetric and neonatal emergencies. For this reason, Doctors with Africa CUAMM in collaboration with Mr. Paolo Rosi, SUEM Coordinator at Regione Veneto, has developed two emergency plans and an operational plan as part of the UR-Beira project. A workshop held on on Wednesday, January 28 gave the occasion to present and discuss the plans with local authorities from both Beira district and Sofala province. The meeting was also attended by project partners, namely the District Health, Women, and Social Action Service (SDSMAS), the Beira Central Hospital (HCB), and the Mozambique Medical Emergency Service (SEMMO).

The Internal Emergency Plan for the management of a Mass Casualty Incident, the Hospital Emergency Plan, and the Medical Emergency Operational Plan for the Beira district were drafted by a group of experts from Veneto Region. These plans were then reviewed by the staff of Beira Central Hospital, who adapted them to the real needs, ensuring the sustainability of the service. Already shared with relevant authorities, health centers, and healthcare and paramedical personnel involved, these plans will help improve emergency service planning, management, and coordination in the Beira district. They will also enhance the quality of clinical and organizational emergency services and facilitate access to emergency care through the adoption of a validated emergency management model at the district, provincial, and national levels.

“In terms of both sustainability and collaboration, the emergency management plans that we present today with a focus on sustainability and strong collaboration,” said Donata Dalla Riva, Area Manager in the province of Sofala. “The validation and adoption of these tools by health authorities demonstrate the importance of local ownership, which is essential to ensuring the future of the service.”

The meeting also served as an opportunity to present some key results. Launched in February 2022 with the deployment of two vehicles, the service now operates with four ambulances, a emergency operations center, and three management plans. In terms of human resources, the medical emergency service counts on 8 operators managing call flows at the control center set up within the 24 de Julho Hospital, as well as 18 nurses and 18 drivers.

“It was in 2019 when Cyclone Idai hit Beira that it became clear that the city of Beira needed an emergency management system,” said Dr. Neusa Rosalina Joel, Director of the Sofala Provincial Health Directorate (DPS). “Today, we are pleased to witness how this project has increasingly served and benefited our community, to the point where we now have four ambulances, which significantly reduce transfer times and, consequently, the mortality rate, particularly for obstetric and neonatal emergencies.”

In nearly three years of activity, the ambulances have completed over 26,000 transfers, averaging 752 per month. Obstetric emergencies top the list, accounting for 38% of cases referred to HCB, followed by medical emergencies (28%) and pediatric and neonatal emergencies (24%).

“Today, we conclude three years of commitment to strengthening medical emergency services in the city of Beira,” said Marcello Mazzotta, CUAMM Project Manager. “This meeting has demonstrated not only the effectiveness of the service but also the strong engagement of local partners, who are determined to create the right conditions to gradually take over the medical emergency management system, which is now a model for the Country.”

UR-BEIRA: Strengthening Medical Emergency Services in the City of Beira is a project funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and implemented by Medici con l’Africa Cuamm in partnership with the Veneto Region, the Beira District Health Service, the Medical Emergency Service of the Ministry of Health of Mozambique, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Beira Central Hospital, and P.O. Croce Verde of Padua.

JUST IN TIME In Low Resource Settings

Posted on by Redazione Cuamm

During disasters, health care workers must be ready to adapt quickly and safely, wherever they are needed. Training programs play a crucial role in building this readiness: equipping professionals with practical skills, strengthening their confidence, and improving their ability to respond effectively in both high and low resource settings. Investing in preparedness means empowering health care providers to act decisively when it matters most.

The “Just in Time” CUAMM training consists of a 6 module training package delivered through a distance learning interface (total training duration: approximately 7 hours).

 

Bridging Experience: From COVID-19 to Global Emergency Response

Just in Time is a free online training programme developed by Doctors with Africa CUAMM in collaboration with CRIMEDIM, the Research Center in Emergency and Disaster Medicine at the University of Eastern Piedmont. The course was initially created during the COVID-19 pandemic to support the Italian healthcare system in managing the crisis and strengthening preparedness capacities. Building on lessons learned from that experience, the training was redesigned and adapted to respond to diverse emergency contexts, particularly across the African continent.

The Impact: From Knowledge to Professional Competency
Preparedness is not merely a state of readiness; it is a measurable professional competency. Systematic training programs are essential for transforming theoretical emergency protocols into effective field operations. By engaging with this course, healthcare providers (HCPs) achieve three critical professional outcomes:

  • Operational Confidence: Training reduces the cognitive load during a crisis, allowing professionals to act decisively based on established evidence-based procedures.
  • Facility Resilience: Understanding how to maintain the integrity of a healthcare facility during a surge in demand ensures that life-saving services remain accessible.
  • Risk Mitigation: Proficiency in disaster-specific protocols significantly improves the safety of the working environment, protecting both the staff and the patient population.

Course Overview
The “Just in Time” training is a specialized learning programme developed by Doctors with Africa CUAMM to strengthen disaster preparedness. Designed specifically for healthcare professionals in low-resource settings, the course features:

  • Format: 6-module curriculum delivered via a distance-learning platform.
  • Duration: Approximately 7 hours of total learning time.
  • Accessibility: Available in English, French, and Portuguese to support diverse global contexts.
  • Certification: Participants can complete a learning assessment to obtain a formal digital certificate of attendance upon completion.

Learning Objectives
By engaging with this practical and accessible training, participants will gain the skills to:

  • Provide healthcare workers with a common background of knowledge and information about disaster-specific information;
  • Provide healthcare workers with the adequate competencies to proficiently and safely work inside any healthcare facility during any disasters;
  • Understand the working principles and the standard operating procedures in place at their working place in preparation for, during and in the aftermath of a disaster;
  • Understanding basic principles of disaster medicine and public health emergencies.

 

Consult the Program of the course 

Enroll now

Read the feedback from previous editions

South West Shoa Zone 25 years of health promotion

Posted on by Redazione Cuamm

It was 2000 when the inauguration of St. Luke Hospital in Wolisso opened the door to a long-time collaboration between CUAMM and the Health authorities of the South West Shoa Zone (SWSZ).

The construction of the new facility resulted from the agreement signed by Oromia disaster prevention and preparedness Bureau, Oromia Health Bureau and Ethiopian Catholic Church. The objective was twofold: first, to establish health services in Wolisso area and secondly, to open a nursing school in Oromia Regional State.

As a matter of fact, there was no hospital service between Addis Ababa and Jimma – a stretch of around 350km, neither a training school for nurses prior to the realisation of St Luke Catholic Hospital and College of Nursing.

The construction of St Luke Catholic Hospital and College of Nursing and Midwifery stemmed from Doctors with Africa CUAMM’s philosophy of contributing to the improvement of the life of people living in Southwest Shewa Zone, Oromia Regional State. Since the early years, the hospital has been providing maternal and child health (MCH) services while gradually promoting community medicine across Wolisso district.

CUAMM’s commitment to improving health services in the SWSZ has scaled up over time.

To remain loyal to the mission of contributing to the improvement of the life of people living in SWSZ, CUAMM committed to taking its work beyond the hospital and in 2008, it established the St. Luke Catholic Hospital Public Health Department aiming to strengthen Primary Health Care (PHC) and support the integration of PHC services with curative ones. In addition, the Department also worked for the expansion of community health activities and the improvement of the referral system for patients. From 2008 to 2015 CUAMM’s support to primary health care units expanded from the districts of Wolisso and Goro to 20 health centres situated in 4 districts, namely Wolisso Rural, Wolisso Town, Goro and Wonchi Districts.

In the following years, more grant/projects have been mobilise to boost community health acitivities with a particular dedication to maternal and neonatal health and infectious diseases. At the same time, the Organization managed to keep expanding its support to other districts and Hospitals of Southwest Shewa Zone like Bacho, Amaya, Sadan Soddo and Tole districts including Tullu Bollo and Amaya hospitals.

Sensitization activity in Wolisso district during Covid-19 pandemic

The collaboration between CUAMM and the Ethiopian Catholic Secretariat continues to date to strengthen the management of diocesan healthcare facilities across the country. A significant portion of the intervention focuses on the South West Shoa Zone, specifically at the hospital and the Nursing and Midwifery School in Wolisso, as well as in the surrounding districts of Goro, Wolisso, and Wonchi.

To date, maternal and neonatal care and infectious diseases are the core of CUAMM intervention in the area. Outreach activities are being conducted regularly to promote prevention, ensure access to health service for all, facilitate referral to the main hospital. By working in close collaboration with health centres located in the South West Shoa Zone, CUAMM is not only providing screening services for both infectious diseases and malnutrition but concerning the latter it is also offering community-led activities as food demonstrations. Those are effective strategy to improve participants’ cooking skills, social interactions and nutritional intake. By promoting the practice of “eating locally” community kitchens foster education on the effective use of locally-grown food.

On January 2nd, Guteta Degefa Buta – South West Shoa Zone Health Office Head has awarded Doctors with Africa CUAMM work in Wolisso

“In recognition of the outstanding contribution and support made toward the health system strengthening, decrease preventable maternal and child health morbidity and mortality, communicable and non-communicable disease prevention and control in south west shoa zone”.

Such recognition bears witness to CUAMM’s uninterrupted work over the past 25 years alongside Ethiopian health authorities—never “in their place”—with the aim of strengthening the system to ensure sustainability and lasting results for the benefit of the resident community.

«I am really excited by this recognition that prove that our work is trusthworthy. I would like to thank both CUAMM HQ team, the Country Office team and the team here in Wolisso who have actively participated in the entire process from the resource mobilization to successful accomplishment of our public health projects» said Worku Nigussa –CUAMM Area Manager in Wolisso, Ethiopia.

Despite the results achieved, ensuring the continuity of CUAMM’s program in a setting that prioritizes support to emergencies over development, remains a major challenge.

 

The struggle of South Sudanese girls in accessing and pursuing education

Posted on by Redazione Cuamm

“All of a sudden my desires did not matter at all, it was no longer on me to decide either I could keep studying or not. Someone else wanted to chose”.

Theresa Nyariak Maror, 23-years old is a midwifery students at Rumbek Health Institute in South Sudan. In a year time, she will be a professional midwife in a country where 1,223 women die per 100,000 live births due to pregnancy-related causes.

Accessing and pursuing education in South Sudan is indeed a privilege and a matter of luck, especially for young girls. Theresa herself had to face a series of challenges to be able to attend the midwifery school. As a little girl in primary school, she enjoyed studying: her grades were good and her uncle was happy to support the studies. Unfortunately, when he had an accident and passed away, Theresa’s life changed forever. She had to quit school, leave her hometown and move far away to join other family members who might have taken care of her.

“No one had ever dare to ask me to go to the cattle camp when my uncle was alive, but a year after his passing, that was my only opportunity – said Theresa. – I could not understand the reason. I was not willing to accept that decision, I could not tolerate them to take decision on my behalf”.

Abandon school for cattle herding is the fate of many South Sudanese girls. This usually happens when the father passes away and the uncle takes charge of the family. In that case, girls’ education has a cost and it is no longer a priority and there is little these girls can do to assert their right to education. Due to poverty, child marriage and cultural and religious views, girls’ are way too often excluded from education.

 “Girls is South Sudan know that their right to education is a matter of luck since it is totally subjected to men’s will and finding a man who values education is like hitting the jackpot” said Magdalen Awor – CUAMM Midwife and tutor at Rumbek Health Institute.

Despite the difficulties, Theresa was lucky enough to resume her studies after getting married to a man who valued education and today is committed to completing the midwifery studies and get the diploma at Rumbek Health Institute. The institution is being supported by Doctors with Africa CUAMM since 2020 and every year some 20 students graduate thanks also to the scholarships offered by CUAMM. In this young and fragile country, every story of education offers a glimmer of hope as it helps the nation move forward, towards a brighter and more stable future.

 

Feeling useless older people’s experience of war

Posted on by Redazione Cuamm

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February 2022, has been characterized by a flagrant disregard for civilian life and frequent war crimes. Ukraine, where people over 60 years old make up nearly one-fourth of the population, is one of the “oldest” countries in the world.

Often reluctant or unable to flee their homes, older people face a greater likelihood of being killed or injured. Even when they succeed in escaping such dangers, older people face distinct challenges in displacement. In particular, they struggle in accessing adequate housing and end up in isolated settings where the exclusion from their community jeopardize their psychological well-being.

Natalia L.*, 68, had lived in Kherson region, Southern Ukraine for years. In March 2022, when the Russian invasion of Ukraine begun, her life changed profoundly. Her town was occupied, and Natalia had no choice but flee with her little belongings. That is when she became one of 3.7 million internally displaced people as of August 2024.

Once displaced by the conflict, older people like Natalia are often locked out of the rental market by pensions that are well below real subsistence levels.

With her little savings, she was unable to find a house and could only stay in overcrowded accommodation centres as she journeyed across regions from Mykolaiv to Dnipro.

In particular, as an elderly internally displaced person, this living condition had severe consequences on her health and emotional well-being. Her fragile sense of security worsened when her son was called to join the army, leaving her alone with fear and anxiety.

Eventually, Natalia arrived in Strij (Lviv Region), and started living in one of the Accommodation Centres. When she joined the Centre, the staff soon noticed that she was suffering from slowness of speech and movements, uncontrollable tearfulness. In addition, she was not speaking to anyone in the Centre and started spending days in isolation.

«I am useless; no one cares about me»

These are the words she pronounced the most during the meetings with the staff of the Centre. In order to assess Natalia’s health status, she was referred to the Health Mobile Unit service provided by CUAMM, in partnership with Caritas SDD’s Mobile Unit. This activity is a part of the RISE project: Integrated Response to Support the Emergency in Ukraine. Our project is part of a 46.5 million Euro initiative funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, reaching 900,000+ people affected by the Ukraine crisis.

The Mobile Unit team, composed of a nurse, a doctor, and a psychologist, provides vulnerable people, including IDPs living in Accommodation Centres in remote areas in the Lviv region with health and psychological support. 

High pressure and headache were then treated with free medications that Natalia received from the Health Mobile Unit, along with a psychological therapy. After assessing her level of anxiety and depression, the psychologist supported her with some coping strategies. Specific tests, such as the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) and the Brief-COPE questionnaire, revealed a mild degree of depression and the use of avoidant coping mechanisms. Over time, the tailored support provided to Natalia showed good results. She started communicating with her neighbours in the Centre and participating in volunteer activities.

«I feel more active now, and I want to help other people who are experiencing the same problems» stated Natalia before expressing gratitude to the psychologist: «I cannot thank you enough for your continuous support and how you care about me. Now I feel better, and my life makes sense again».

Thanks to the support of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, CUAMM can implement a multi-disciplinary approach, combining health and psychological support for vulnerable people, ensuring that people’s immediate and lifesaving needs are met, alleviating the sufferings caused by the war.

CUAMM response

Doctors with Africa CUAMM has been working in Ukraine since March 2022, providing multisectoral responses to the urgent needs of the most vulnerable populations affected by the Ukrainian conflict. Since the onset of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, CUAMM has adopted a flexible, multisectoral approach to address the multidimensional needs of war victims. In close collaboration with local authorities and civil society organizations, CUAMM has developed an intervention strategy aimed at supporting and integrating the socio-healthcare system in conflict-affected countries, ensuring access to essential and life-saving services for the most vulnerable groups.

Active from the outset of the humanitarian crisis in the Ternopil and Chernivtsi regions in western Ukraine, CUAMM has reached over 40,594 people and supported more than 29 healthcare facilities with medicines, consumables, biomedical equipment, and logistical support materials ensuring the continuity of life-saving services and contributing to reducing morbidity and mortality among war victims in the areas targeted.