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Child and
Family Health
INSTITUTE FOR FAMILY HEALTH
The
Institute for Family Health (IFH), previously known as the Institute for Child Health and Development, was established in 1986 as a national training center for child development specialists to help raise health care standards by improving growth monitoring, diagnosis and treatment practices.
The Institute includes a model Mother and Child Health Clinic that offers primary health care services and a
Child Development Unit (CDU) that assesses and supervises treatment of child disabilities. The CDU also designs programs to improve the monitoring of children’s physical, psychological and social health needs. It houses a unique toy library, which provides families of disabled children with stimulating play techniques and appropriate play tools.
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A doctor
screens a baby at the Child Development Unit |
The CDU’s specialized services include: Infant stimulation, functional skills for older disabled children, early childhood education, speech and language development, and outreach initiatives. The CDU established the first Down Syndrome Association in the country and a mothers’ support group to help integrate children with special needs into society.
Supported by the British Department for International Development (DFID), the Institute, through a comprehensive approach, trained a core of the Ministry of Health’s medical staff on the early detection of children’s disabilities.
Through the Better Parenting Project with UNICEF, the Institute trains mothers and fathers on better parenting skills.
The Population Program for the Grassroots, an outreach effort linked to the Institute supported by USAID and UNFPA, has introduced reproductive health concepts in 40 remote villages throughout Jordan in an innovative, highly acclaimed method. Through interactive theater and puppet shows that encourage dialogue and debate on controversial population and gender issues, the Program promotes awareness on family size, modern family planning methods, and gender equity. So far, over 50,000 people have benefited from this Program.
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A local
trainer engaging women in a dialogue on controversial reproductive and gender issues |
The Institute is expanding its scope, with funding from the European Commission and technical expertise from AIDOS, an Italian non-governmental organization, to serve as Jordan’s first
Women’s Health Counseling Center. Adopting a holistic and participatory approach, the Center responds to women’s health needs and provides social and legal counseling, outreach programs and awareness campaigns on health issues, such as reproductive health, AIDS and other STDs, with a special focus on adolescent girls and menopausal women.
In 1995, Harvard University’s Institute for Social and Economic Policy in the Middle East commended the Institute for its comprehensive approach and described its “psycho-social” services as a unique regional model.
NHF
Main Page
Contact
Information:
Noor
Al Hussein Foundation
P.O. Box 926687
Amman 11110 - Jordan
Tel: (962-6) 560 7460
Fax: (962-6) 560 6994
Email: nhf@nic.net.jo
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