Page 65 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 8

Christian Psychology as a Challenge

5.1 Coordinators 5.3 Eight Week Programme
For my community intervention project, I col- The program was for 8 weeks from the 15th of
laborated with a three other women to carry June to the 5th of August. The classes were on
out the young and pregnant program. The three Monday’s and Wednesday’s and during each day
other members were Nicol, Sandy, and Jennie- the girls were given a snack. June 15th was the
ke. Nicol, the brain behind the project is a per- introductory class; during this class the girls did
manent employee at Beautiful Kidz; she is in- an icebreaker, and went through the scripture
volved with the youth and is a dance teacher at Psalm 139:13-16, the lecture topic focused on
the centre. At the time of the program, she was the value of a child, and what not to do during
also pregnant. Sandy, is part of a sister program pregnancy. Also the girls were shown a short
of Beautiful Kidz called 3measures which is a video clip about the growth of a baby. On June
community development program. She is a wife 17th the subject was going deeper, the girls had
and a mother of two boys. Jennieke is the Mana- to do an activity called ‘cross the line if…’ and
ger of Nakusa, which is a needlework project for the girls had an opportunity to tell their story.
women in the community at the Beautiful Kidz On June 22nd, the girls were taught the various
centre. Like Nicol she too was pregnant during symptoms they will experience throughout
the program. their pregnancy and the warning signs they
should watch out for. The activity at the end of
5.2 Recruiting the participants the lecture was a quiz about general pregnancy
Nicol gathered most of the information for the facts. On June 24th the girls had a photo-shoot
program. She travelled to Durban to a see a where the girls spent the day at Parliament Gar-
lady who is conducting a similar program for dens taking photos as a group. On June 29th a
pregnant adolescents. On one occasion, during Doctor from the State Hospital gave a talk to the
the planning phase, Nicol, Jennieke and I went girls about the importance of antenatal check-
to Acacia High School to talk to the guidance ups. At the end the girls had to fill in a birth
teacher as well as some of the girls that are plan form. July 1st was a baby shower for the
pregnant at the school. During the interview girls who were due to give birth in the month
with the girls, we asked her whether she would of July. July 6th Jennieke gave a lecture about
like to join the program as well as, what her the first 1000 days of a baby’s life that is the first
home situation is like. Unfortunately, none girls 3 years including the gestation period. July 8th
from the school joined the program. the girls did a crafts activity where they painted
a profile of their belly.
The largest pool of the girls resulted when Ni-
col and Jennieke went into the community as- July 13th Sandy taught the girls about breast-
king if there were any pregnant girls that the feeding and bottle-feeding; she explained why
community members knew of. Other methods breast-feeding is the best alternative to feeding
of recruitment included putting up posters your newborn baby. July 15th the girls watched
around the area as well as leaving applications a movie, ‘What to expect when you are expec-
for to join the program at the Katutura antena- ting’. July 20th the girls were taught about re-
tal clinic. There was a large pool of interested cognizing labour signs, labour positions, proce-
girls at the antenatal clinic, however very few dures and what to expect. July 22nd the subject
could make it to the centre to take part in the was family time, the girls wrote letters to their
program. All the girls that attended the pro- baby. July 27th consisted of doing house visits
gram were from around the Damara Location and doing a follow up on the girls who had gi-
area, which is where the Beautiful Kidz centre is ven birth. July 29th and August 3rd were can-
situated. A basic demographic form was given celled because the girls didn’t show up. August
to the girls in order to collect information such 5th was the finally baby shower for one of the
as their age, contact details and what why would girls. August 12th was the day of the evaluation
like from such a program. Most of the girls left where the coordinators discussed the evaluati-
the last part blank. on forms of the girls as well as the answers to

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