Thursday 30 January 2014

News from Fushe Kruja - the health situation has improved


Two weeks are passed since the Roma Community in Fushe Kruja has been affected by Hepatitis A. Ten children had to be hospitalized and treated for some days at the local public hospital in Kruja. In the last two weeks, the children of the Roma community could not attend the public school because the risk of infection was too high. But after conducting the medical test and receiving the confirmation from the doctors that the risk of infection was eliminated, it is very important that the children continue going to school. Therefore, on Monday, the 27th of January ADRA staff went to Fushe Kruja to visit the Roma Community. ADRA staff of the Reflect project spoke with the parents to convince them to sending their children to school. In the same time, ADRA staff also visited the public school, and spoke and informed the teachers, that the children of the Roma community will continue to attend the school in the upcoming days and that there is no risk of infection anymore. During the lessons with the Roma women at ADRA centre, a team of journalists from the Albanian public television (TVSH) came to make a short report of the health situation of the Roma Community in Fushe Kruja. Rezarta Prence, a member of ADRA staff and social worker of the Reflect Project gave an interview to TVSH in which she described the actual health situation and also the work of ADRA Albania in Fushe Kruja.


Thursday 16 January 2014

Emergency situation in the Roma community of Fushë- Kruja





Since the last days the Roma community in Fushë-Kruja has been affected by an unexpected disease. Some children have been infected with Hepatitis A. The people of the Roma Community use the water from the polluted river which crosses Fushë-Kruja, as well this river serves as garbage dump. Probably the bad hygienic circumstances and the consumption of this water are the reasons for the infection. Currently 10 Roma children are at the public hospital in Kruja, the others are sick but their parents are not sending them at the hospital.


After being informed about this emergency situation, the ADRA Reflect team has visited the community in order to raise awareness about the importance of not consuming the polluted water from the river.  Until now, the Roma community in Fushë Kruja has refused to pay and consume the water from the tab because they don’t want to pay their water bill. After a lively discussion with the Roma community members on Monday, ADRA Reflect Team and the chief of the public water administration has convinced the majority of the Roma people to collect money in order to pay and to consume the tab water for now on.  In the end, the Roma community in Fushë Kruja is more aware about the risks and dangers of polluted water and importance of hygiene.

 
At the same time, due to the emergency situation created in this community, a team of doctors of the public health department visited the Community to take blood analyses of the children. The infection with Hepatitis A of many of the Roma children during these days will not allow them to attend the public school for the next three weeks. This is a big problem because the children are not able to make up the lessons by themselves and their parents cannot help them. ADRA Reflect Team tried to find a solution in cooperation with the public school. Soon ADRA Albania will conduct an awareness campaign in order re-explain the importance of vaccination.