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Pilot Project for Women's Support
Programme - Goražde March 2007
Feedback and Evaluation Report
Introduction
The Women’s Support Programme was conceptualized by two international complementary medicine therapists, Alina Anker and Emma Stacey, in December 2006. The goal of this project was to provide therapeutic support to women who suffered deep trauma during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who had previously been supplied little or no therapy. The emphasis was to regain dignity and health, teach various skills and encourage community building.
Preparation stage
Gorazde in Eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina was seen as an ideal location to run the pilot project for a month as the RDC had an office there, and could provide a space for running two private therapy rooms, as well as accommodation for the therapists. Gorazde was held under siege for three and a half years and the residents suffered severe trauma, displacement, hunger, fear and emotional trauma.
The RDC's office in Gorazde and Vesna Kulijah the representative of local women's organization Anima got in contact with the female victims of the war and introduce them with this project. This activity as well as the opening of the project brought 48 participants.
Funding for equipment (massage tables, linen, etc) was generously donated by the International Women's Club (IWC) branch of Humanitarian Action Committee (HAC), Sarajevo
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Description of activities
The Programme ran on a rotational basis for four weeks. Each week the individual client would have one therapeutic treatment and be involved in the community day, organized on Fridays. Each therapist treated 6 women per day and all 24 clients were seen by both Emma Stacey and Alina Anker over the four days. Dina Manko, a Homeopath visited the clinic and treated clients for 4 days during the week.
Individual treatments
The treatments were scheduled by the hour and consisted of an initial consultation with a therapist and a translator. The initial session consisted of a full current and past physical and emotional health appraisal, a dietary analysis and information about their war experience.
From this information, personal nutritional and lifestyle modifications were recommended, as well as specific health program for each individual presiding health complaint. Massage, Reflexology and Cranio-Sacral work were also given in the first consultation.
The Second session consisted of a follow up on compliance to the recommendations, client feedback, and therapist's evaluation of the treatment program, as well as the body work.
During third session clients were provided with an hour Massage and Cranio-Sacral work. Since the translator was not present in the third session, the communication was limited. The lack of the translator created more time resulting in longer sessions of body work which was vital, as nearly all clients complained of spinal and back pain.
The final treatment of body work was given as well as the therapist's doing final appraisals of improvements in the clients' physical and emotional health during the month of therapy in the fourth week of the project. During the limited time of just four weeks women reported improvement in sleeping, digestive processes, stress reduction, weight loss, skin improvement and less pain in muscles and joints
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Group therapies
Apart from the individual therapy sessions, the group therapy community days were highly successful. An essential aspect of restoring emotional health and wellbeing is to rebuild trusting relationships with community members. The community days provided an ideal environment for women to connect, chat and establish new friendships. Group activities such as healthy cooking, sewing, knitting and spinning, not only allowed clients to share their skills and others to learn new ones, but encouraged interaction and conversation with each other.
Yoga and relaxation breathing classes were also held on the community days, groups of 10 clients were able to each experience a 30 min class
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Additional activities
Therapists organized three donations of clothes, toys and linen in Sarajevo for the refugees living outside of Gorazde, a women's refuge in Visegrad and a Gorazde Kindergarten.
The project was visited with approval from representatives of the Swiss and Norwegian Embassy, as well as from PhD students on post war studies from England and America.
The local television station of Gorazde visited the clinic, which resulted in increased interest from the Gorazde municipality. This resulted in therapists wanting to work with the clinic, as well as women wanting to be part of the program therapies. Due to full schedules, there was no ability to provide them with treatment, but these women were invited to attend the community day, which many did with positive results
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Evaluation
Client Feedback Forms
At the end of the last consultation each client was asked to fill out an evaluation form in a private room with our translator present for any queries. 43 forms out of 48 clients were completed.
Statistics:
25 women came for both physical and emotional complaints,
5 for just emotional complaints,
13 for physical complaints.
When asked if the therapy helped with the complaint, all responded yes, but with further treatments still being requested.
“Yes, I feel a lot better but I still need more treatments.”
All clients felt that they had been treated with respect and dignity.
“Very professional”
“I felt like I was treated like a princess”
They all understood and felt the therapies had been explained well.
“Emma and Alina listened and had helpful, easy ideas to help me.”
“Easy changes and now I am not constipated.”
Other comments included;
“I am more dedicated to my health.”
‘Clinic has a realistic goal and great purpose.”
“I feel more spiritual.”
“I am ready to let go.”
When asked what was needed to improve nearly all responses were that we didn’t stay long enough and that we should be there full-time.
Value of the community days were met with overwhelming praise except two women found the sheer number of women overwhelming.
“It helps to develop your feelings and thoughts.”
“Need more time to talk.”
“Some women were too loud, and some too quiet.”
“Unforgettable meetings, a great gift to the women of Gorazde.”
Conclusions
In conclusion, the pilot project as a whole was highly successful in its implementation, client response and therapeutic value.
This Programme in short was such a success and provided such joy, comfort, and healing to such a small group of women we feel that once established the effects of healing programs will be on a larger scale improving public health and helping to heal the long effect of war trauma that is deeply imbedded in the psyche of the women of Bosnia
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