A HAND STRETCHED FOR HEALTH – HEALTH FOR
ALL IN THE 21st CENTURY

Brief overview

Our present days are full with many difficulties which adversely affect the health of the Bulgarian people. The number of children and young adults who suffer from socially significant diseases is increasing each year. They are a heavy burden both for the society and their families due to their lack of functional abilities, their decreased opportunities for socially and economically productive lives and loss of mental health. The psycho - social stress, low motive activities, unbalanced feeding and others are the prerequisites of the increased sickness rates. There are a number of reasons for not paying enough attention to the health prophylaxis. It is clear for everybody that every single Lev invested in prophylaxis is saving much more funds from medical treatment.
The essence of the project is concentrated in the organization of seminars and round table discussions under the project’s topic: “A hand stretched for health – Health for all in the 21st CENTURY”.
The project is addressed to the following target groups:
· Children and youngsters suffering from socially significant chronic diseases /asthma, diabetes, and others/;
· Relatives of children and youngsters suffering from socially significant chronic diseases;
· Doctors, consulting the children and youngsters suffering from socially significant chronic diseases and encouraging them to take part in the sport activities, organized by Dia-Sport Association;
· Representatives of the health departments to the municipalities;
· Remedial instructors;
· Representatives of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, the Red Cross;
· Representatives of Centers for work with children.

Partners

· Clinic of pulmology and respiratory allergy - Pediatrics department to the Medical University, Sofia
· Diabetes department - Pediatrics department to the Medical University, Sofia
· Diabetes dispensary to “Saint Lucas” Cathedral Clinic, Sofia
· “Lozenetz” – Sport’s remedial Center
· “Levski” - sport club
· “Triaditza” - municipality
· Sofia - municipality

Goals

· To increase the society’s health culture;
· To create conditions for successful integration and socialization of children and adolescents suffering from socially significant chronic diseases;
· To maintain a high level of information for all the interested stakeholders;
· To create conditions for exchange of information and experience between groups at local level;
· To create conditions for building a normal life for children and adolescents with health problems (suffering from socially significant chronic diseases due to living conditions - diabetes, bronchial asthma, etc.) and their families.
· To stimulate the building-up of a stable system for self-help for children and adolescents who suffer from diabetes, bronchial asthma and other diseases due to living conditions, and their families and relatives.
· To increase the society’s health culture and information aimed at decreasing the risk of socially significant chronic diseases, on the one hand, and opportunities for optional compensation of the impaired health, on the other.
· To create conditions for the establishment of a sustainable system of groups for self-help and mutual aid among the children and youngsters suffering from socially significant chronic diseases.


Activities

Seminars and round table discussions about problems of children and adolescents suffering from socially significant chronic diseases / diabetes, bronchial asthma, etc./.
The seminars comprise of lectures on the following topics:
· Rational feeding in the case of socially significant chronic diseases;
· How to live adequately with our chronic disease;
· Reasons for not starting smoking;
· Training on ways to cope with the chronic disease / diabetes, bronchial asthma, etc. /;
· Health prophylaxis and the role of sport in the case of socially significant chronic diseases;
· The socially significant chronic diseases – a challenge to the family and the society /family problems, problems with the relatives and the friends, the isolation, etc./.

Results

· Increasing the society’s health culture;
· Creating conditions for successful integration and socialization of children and adolescents suffering from socially significant chronic diseases;
- Maintaining a high level of information of all the interested stakeholders;
- Creating conditions for exchange of information and experience between groups at local level;
· Helping the establishment of a sustainable system of groups for self-help and mutual aid among the children and youngsters suffering from socially significant chronic diseases