Forge Health Services (FHS) is located in Meheba Refugee Settlement, based in Block C in the FORGE compound. There are two employees, one man and one woman, Mary, facilitating the activities of the project.
This is a health project, with our main duties being advocacy and education. We hold twice-weekly workshops in various parts of the settlement organized around various pubic health issues. Prior to beginning a workshop, we asses the community in which we plan to work and sit down with various residents to discuss the health problems facing that particular region. We also prepare a community specific pre-workshop knowledge assessment to understand the general knowledge of the residents in relation to certain diseases’ transmission and prevention. We use the results to help tailor our workshops to the specific health needs of each community.
FHS also conducts extensive outreach initiatives to identify the vulnerable populations in each community, and to help facilitate access to care for those who may not know where the nearest clinic is located, or the symptoms of serious illnesses like malaria. We are often the primary point of contact for health questions in many areas of the settlement and Mary and I have undergone continued training from the United Nations (UN) on how to recognize symptoms of severe and uncomplicated malaria. We spend a large portion of each day meeting with patients and referring them to the correct Ministry of Health clinic for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up.
Finally, FHS also provides information and basic counseling for refugees who are being tested for HIV. We lobby residents to get tested, and organize regular health talks to discuss safe practices and responsibility.
I have worked with FHS for three years and am continuously humbled by the appreciation the communities in Meheba have for our small contribution to health education and awareness. Mary and I are often the first health professionals that some refugees meet with and because of our membership in the community we are sometimes more trusted. I am thankful whenever I am able to convince a patient to go to the clinic or get a HIV test. I know our work is making a difference.
