Midwives received training thanks to the support of the NBS Foundation

Do you know when you are entitled to maternity benefits? And what requirements you need to meet in order to receive child allowance? Thanks to the training focused on the Financial Minimum for (Future) Parents, midwives are now able to answer these and many other questions.

The series of tailor-made training sessions, which midwives completed in October and November, was prepared thanks to the support of the NBS Foundation. As part of the project, we also prepared an information guide for future parents, which we believe will help them navigate the system of parental benefits and allowances.

The project Financial Minimum for (Future) Parents received support under the grant call GV-2022-3.

“The project Financial Minimum for (Future) Parents is funded by the Grant Programs of the NBS Foundation (www.nadacianbs.sk).”

Midwives have received support from the NBS Foundation

Thanks to the support of the NBS Foundation, we will have the opportunity to prepare another series of training sessions for midwives, this time in the area of financial literacy.

As part of their activities, midwives encounter topics every day such as child benefits, maternity leave, parental allowance, and other contributions related to the life situations of their clients. The goal of the supported project The Financial Minimum for (Future) Parents is to prepare and deliver intensive training that will help midwives navigate the complex system of benefits concerning their clients, so they can share this knowledge further through the awareness-raising activities they carry out.

The project Financial Minimum for (Future) Parents has received support within the grant call GV-2022-3.

“The project Financial Minimum for (Future) Parents is funded by the Grant Programs of the NBS Foundation (www.nadacianbs.sk).“

Midwife Helenka has been nominated for the Roma Spirit 2023 award

She received the nomination in the Act of the Year category for providing selfless and essential help and support to a mother during childbirth in difficult home conditions.

“It is extraordinary to bring a baby into the world. It was my honor and joy.”

Helena Dunková is a midwife from Rudňany, from the Zabíjanec community. She raises awareness among pregnant women and mothers, provides support, connects women with healthcare providers, helps with prenatal preparation, oversees proper nutrition for pregnant women and new mothers, and explains to them how to care for their babies.

Helena is involved in the Mission 1000 project of the Association for Culture, Education, and Communication, where she completed special training that enables her to help women who do not manage to get to the hospital in time. Thanks to this training, she has already successfully assisted in the birth of eight babies.

“It was a mother just before childbirth. She had no money for transport to the hospital, not even for a taxi. They called me when she was already having strong and frequent contractions, maybe around two or three in the morning.”

“First, I called the ambulance, and before they arrived, it was me who helped the baby into the world.”

“I couldn’t just watch that mother scream and cry for help. It was both stressful and frightening, but what else could I do? I had to help the baby be born and make sure the mother was all right too. I have helped eight babies and their mothers; the last one was on August 29, 2023. The little one is healthy, strong, and doing well.”

As a midwife, she creates bridges and space for dialogue that can change the perspectives and attitudes of both community members and healthcare providers. Through awareness-raising activities, health education, and her own example, she has the opportunity to change how the community and individuals perceive health.

Thanks to specialized training, she is able, within the environment in which she works, to convey essential information on maternal health, the care of pregnant women, and the health and care of newborns and children up to the age of three. She provides women in the community with information about potential health issues, proper self-care during pregnancy, and subsequent care for their newborns.

She finds fulfillment in helping in the poorest areas. “Because there are mothers who don’t know what they can do for themselves, for their health, and for their babies. They didn’t know they needed to attend regular preventive check-ups with a gynecologist.”

“I enjoy it, and I want to help especially small children, adolescents, and babies,” adds Helena Dunková.

We are looking for a new colleague to join the Mission 1000 team!

We are looking for reinforcements to join the Mission 1000 program team. Within our activities, we focus on key challenges related to maternal and child care, early care, and the development of parenting skills in marginalized Roma communities.

Interventions, both at home and in hospital settings, are carried out by trained midwives. Midwives raise awareness among expectant mothers and mothers, provide support, connect women with healthcare providers, assist with prenatal preparation, and help with the care of newborns and toddlers.

Midwives work both in home and hospital settings, raise awareness among pregnant women and mothers, provide support, connect women with healthcare providers, and assist with prenatal care as well as the care of newborns and toddlers.

A painless cervical cancer screening can save lives!

Do you want to help in the fight against cervical cancer?

The basis of cervical cancer prevention is a painless cervical smear test. Ideally, the best prevention is regular visits to a gynecologist and accessible vaccination.

In Slovakia, every woman between the ages of 23 and 64 is entitled to free cervical cancer screening as part of preventive gynecological check-ups. Screening consists of a standard physical examination and a cytology smear. At the beginning, it is performed once a year for two consecutive years. If both results are negative, the check-ups continue every three years. Screening ends when a woman reaches the upper age limit, provided that at least the last three tests have been normal.

Come and get tested for free!

Are you interested in free screening (testing)? On Tuesday, September 19, throughout the whole day, every woman between the ages of 19 and 64 will be able to get tested free of charge at the office of the Association for Culture, Education and Communication (ACEC) in Spišská Nová Ves.

Throughout the day, midwives will be available to provide the necessary information and the self-test. This simple, painless examination, which can be done directly on site, can detect the presence of the HPV virus that causes cervical cancer.

The free self-screening is part of the awareness activities carried out by midwives. This painless test can detect the presence of HPV in “healthy women,” which is the virus that causes cervical cancer.

“The aim of these activities is to draw women’s attention to the importance of women’s health, the need for regular visits to a gynecologist, and, last but not least, the effort to prevent cervical cancer,” said Lucia Katreničová, coordinator of midwives and the Mission 1000 program.

We carry out these activities thanks to cooperation with the Faculty of Health and Social Work at Trnava University in Trnava, which is implementing the PRESCRIP-TEC study “Cervical Cancer Testing.” The aim of the project is prevention and innovation in screening, leading towards the elimination of cervical cancer.

Midwives have joined the awareness campaign on cervical cancer!

Norway grants, MV SR

Cervical cancer is one of the greatest fears for women. Although mortality from this diagnosis is gradually decreasing, it is still high. Every year, 600 to 650 women in Slovakia are diagnosed with it, and 200 to 230 die from it. The reason is that the incidence of cervical cancer in advanced stages of the disease is not decreasing.

In 99% of cases, the disease is caused by infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV). While HPV does not cause only cervical cancer, for women it is the most common and best-known disease. The virus usually has no symptoms, and if prevention is neglected, it can eventually develop into a serious oncological diagnosis.

Deaths could therefore be avoided if women underwent regular preventive gynecological check-ups and screenings. Thanks to early diagnosis, a patient has a great chance of complete recovery.

We are pleased that midwives have been engaged in this much-needed awareness! During the summer months, midwives carried out awareness activities in their communities, which were linked to the opportunity to undergo free screening for the presence of HPV.

We are extremely pleased that 1,508 women have already been tested!

These activities are being carried out thanks to cooperation with the Faculty of Health and Social Work of Trnava University in Trnava, which is implementing the PRESCRIP-TEC study “Cervical Cancer Testing.” Thanks to this project, self-testing is available free of charge, even for women from the poorest areas or those with poor access to a gynecologist.

Midwives will continue their activities throughout September!