Marie Stopes Bolivia approaches the subjects of sexual and reproductive health in men and women creatively through the provision of established and mobile services, aiding in the financing of services for low-income families, social marketing and participative, inclusive education.
CEMSE
Approach
Target geography
Target Population
Target income level
- Lower-middle income (20-40%)
- Middle-income (40-60%)
Health focus
- Dentistry
- Maternal, newborn and child health
Summary
CEMSE is a Catholic organization which has operated in Bolivia for more than 20 years under the mission of strengthening the education system and children's health through its School Health Program and approach of combining healthcare, education improvement and intergenerational participation.Program goals
CEMSE is a collection of Network Learning Resource Centers, trainer of trainers, developing replicable proposed health education and contribute to the full integration of people in a productive society and values. With this vision it develops various projects such as CEMSE EDUCATION AND HEALTH, seeking to improve the quality of life of the target population.
Key program components
CEMSE's multifunctional center offers free annual revisions and emergency healthcare for students of associated public schools and delivers health training to students, teachers and parents. The organization also has a mobile team to reach schools that are far away. CEMSE’s costs are covered predominantly by the Church, external sources and fees pay for treatments, medications, and lab exams.
CEMSE’s health program also includes the following projects:
Dental health:
With ANESVAD funding, CEMSE was able to strengthen dental health as a speciality. This project includes
Training for professors so that they are able to incorporate oral health topics into their curriculum.
Parent workshops and the possibility for them to conduct small dissemination projects (like campaigns or fairs).
Training and certification of students as oral health promoters who then form groups which carry out training activities for their peers in the school and the community.
Orthodontic assistance, including free check-ups and basic treatments for all school children, and other low-cost treatments.
Preventative campaigns involving the benefits of fluoride, oral hygiene, etc.
Genesis Hall:
An intergenerational meeting space where parents, teachers and students can meet to orient themselves and receive advice regarding RSH, STIs and HIV with the use of games and audiovisual activities. Leaders are trained with the mission of delivering informative, preventative activities in the schools and neighborhoods (during fairs, in mobile tents, etc). References are given for cases of STIs and HIV with the support of government health center alliances.
Educational website:
An educational website regarding RSH is available to provide young people with access to up-to-date information as well as a virtual consulting space. External funding was needed at the beginning of this project to develop all the materials and set the webpage, but the initiative is now sustainable through the work of volunteers and contributions from parents.
Infant and Maternal health:
Based on the idea of community health vigilance, volunteers are trained and receive certification from the Ministry of Health. Volunteers then take census of all homes in their assigned areas in order to later conduct periodic visits, identify risks and illnesses, and make referrals to health centers.
The program is supported by an informatics system which allows to electronic record keeping and data tracking for each family. This project was initially implemented by CEMSE, but now that the founding has ended, the government is taking charge of most of its activities and contracting human resources from CEMSE.
Scale
Technology
Financials
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