Noor Al Hussein Foundation

Community Development - Child and Family Health

Institute for Family Health

Launched in 1986, the Institute for Family Health was originally established in Sweileh as a model center to improve the quality of maternal and child healthcare services. Since its inception, its programs have expanded nationally. The Institute provides high-quality, comprehensive and affordable services to women and children through its Pediatric Unit, Child Development Unit, Laboratory, and Women’s Health and Counseling Center.

To date, 9,505 children have been served by the Pediatric Unit; 4,594 children have received examinations and treatment from the Child Development Unit; and 10,845 women have benefited from medical and counseling services. Thousands more have received training through awareness campaigns conducted by the Institute's outreach staff on issues such as gender and abuse.

The Institute was Jordan’s first training center on the early detection of childhood disabilities and illnesses . In addition, university students and medical professionals from various governorates have received training under the program.

The Institute for Family Health implements several national programs in cooperation with UNICEF – Better Parenting program (since 1998); UNFPA and Ministry of Health Population Country Program (2003 – 2005). These programs raise awareness on reproductive health, family planning and gender issues.

In 2002 the Institute launched its model Women’s Health and Counseling Center (WHCC) empowers women through comprehensive services -- physical, social, psychological, and legal. Activities at the Center include: the Health Clinic for Women, which provides pre-natal and post-natal care, family planning, early detection of cervical and breast cancer, nutrition assessment, and menopausal and laboratory services. A community counseling team -- with an outreach mobile unit -- organizes Fixed Working Groups for adolescents, women at reproductive age, pregnant women, baby massage, men and reproductive health, menopause and andropause; and a support group for abused women.

The Institute for Family Health (IFH) in 2005 implemented a project funded by Freedom House to address the sensitive issues of gender and domestic violence. The IFH broached these difficult topics with sensitivity and was able to break through initial reluctance by using a participatory approach.
Due to the success of the Institute’s first five sessions, the UNFPA requested that the IFH organize an additional 48 sessions focused on other target groups, including parents, teachers, and community leaders. Requests from within the community for more training demonstated the sessions’ positive impact.

Success Stories

Raya Faouri

In 2003, Raya Faouri was born in a hospital in the suburbs of Amman. Her birth followed a complicated delivery that ended with a caesarean section. Raya was declared healthy until one month later, when her mother brought her to the Foundation’s Institute for Family Health for growth and development assessment. The pediatrician at the Institute confirmed to the devastated parents that Raya had a motor deficiency. Immediately the physiotherapist assigned Raya to a rehabilitation program at the Institute. After three years of therapy, Raya now is a healthy, active, and playful child.

Huda Al Moghrabi

In 2004, during an awareness session in a disadvantaged area in East Amman, Huda Al Moghrabi, a 38 year old mother of four, was stunned while listening to a description of the IFH”s support for gender-based violence victims. Huda anxiously requested a private consultation with the social and psychiatric specialists in which she shared that she was a victim of domestic physical abuse. Thereafter, Huda participated in the support group for victims of physical abuse and attended a specialized course on self-esteem. In six months, Huda changed her perspective, was able to look for a job as a librarian, acquired her diploma, and altered her relationship with her husband thereby ending the abuse. With her newly acquired assertiveness and social skills, Huda was able to liberate herself, find a job, and become a role-model for her children and community.