Ivory Coast – SOS Medical and Social Centres

In Ivory Coast there are currently two Social Centres and one Medical Centre for children and the local community, in Abobo Gare and Aboisso.  Many SOS Social Centres operate via Family Strengthening Programmes, which aim to support the wider community.  Medical Centres provide treatments and services to the local community.  Below is some information about some of the Centres that SOS Children runs in Ivory Coast:

SOS Social Centres around Ivory Coast: In-Depth

Abobo Gare

Description of SOS Socio-Medical Centre/FSP:

In the context of the afore-mentioned programme for people with AIDS and their families (children in particular) construction work on a social and medical centre has been under way since August 2004. The social centre is designed so as to be able to take in a total of 100 children from families in need. It can offer those from the neighbouring communities the opportunity to benefit from sex education and supports people who are affected by the disease and their families with food and medicine as well as financial aid to help them pay for their children to go to school or to make payments on time. The medical centre provides medical care and medicine to those affected.

Work and Achievements:

The socio-medical centre of SOS Children’s Village of Abobo recorded a global number of 2697 customers, including 180 children and SOS young and 2517 for the surrounding community.
Within the framework of medical monitoring, the MC recorded 6538 consultations that is on average 545 consultations per month.  The following chart presents the various pathologies met as well with SOS children as with the surrounding population.

We are still noticing this year a prevalence of malaria (1581 cases). The reinforcement of individual and collective measures is essential in particular, the use of impregnated mosquito nets and the spraying of mosquitoes shelters in the village.

Aboisso

Description of SOS Social Centre/FSP:

The family strengthening programme offers access to essential services for children’s development (eg. educational, nutritional, health support, social skills) and supports families to protect and care for their children. The programme also aims at linking families with income generating activities and offers help to improve the parents’ parenting skills.

Work and Achievements:

A new family in lieu of another has integrated our target group.  This family is composed of a single mother with 2 children partially orphaned.  We enrolled 53 children in primary school, 18 in secondary, and 5 in professional training.   Medical expenses of parents (68) and children (150) were paid by us as well as a total of 120 prescriptions for children and 56 parents for whom we have registered this year. In addition, we referred 3 parents and 3 children in better equipped facilities.  Families were treated to four kits food, or one per quarter.

There has been a training for the children on their rights and duties. So we had a working session with the Aboisso children's parliament to enable children to understand the program activities of the children's parliament and how to integrate this parliament.

We have offered sheets and cement bags to some parents whose shelters were falling into ruin. In addition, to mark Mother's Day we honored the women in the programme by presenting them with a full pagne. We responded to requests from families who have applied herbicides. Meetings, information management, exchange, and strengthen links between the beneficiaries are held once every two months.