Published: May 8, 2011, 12:00 am
Perhaps the best way to tell mother that you love her is by meeting her maternal health and family planning needs.
This is the approach that CCP’s programs in Egypt and Jordan have taken through the Communication for Healthy Living (CHL) project and the Jordan Health Communication Partnership.
Mother and child in Jordan.
The Mabrouk! Initiative was launched in 2005 as a pathway to good health for young married couples. Mabrouk! – the Arabic word for “congratulations” –reflects the celebratory spirit of life events such as marriage, childbirth and child-raising.
Health needs change over the course of life stages. The Mabrouk! Initiative acknowledges this reality and builds upon the opportunity couples have to make healthy decisions as they enter a new life stages.
Primarily addressing young newlywed couples, Mabrouk! catches its target audience early and builds the health competence that guides healthy practices and results in lifelong healthfulness.
The initiative has several maternal and child health goals, including increased prenatal care visits, increased medically assisted delivery and neonatal birth weight, improved postpartum care including immediate initiation of breastfeeding, and use of family planning within two months of delivery.
The Mabrouk! Initiative was implemented across Egypt and in underserved communities. It was launched at a group wedding for 150 couples in 2004 where each couple received a Mabrouk! booklet with information to guide couples through the health issues they may face during the first few years of marriage. CHL also provided the Mabrouk! booklet to newly married couples as part of the Family Health Package of community level interventions.
In Jordan, the Mabrouk! booklets are distributed through an innovative partnership with the Civil Status and Passports Department. JHCP designed booklets for newlyweds, who receive their booklets when they receive their marriage license, and for first-time parents, when they register the birth of their child. Through this national distribution mechanism, JHCP has been able to reach over 70,000 couples annually.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Learn more about the Communication for Healthy Living project [1] and the Jordan Health Communication Partnership [1].
