Raiffeisen Bank in continuous support of maternal and child health

09.11.2018

9 November, Prishtina

We are marking two years of our long term partnership with Raiffeisen Bank, which has donated an amount of 40,000.00 Eur to date, 100% in support of mothers and children in Kosovo. Thanks to such support, over 300 children a year and over 2,000 mothers benefit from programs developed in partnership.

The first program we worked together was extending the Women’s Health Resource Center – Mothers’ Classes – in rural areas, and we established thus the first center in Dragash, in the Main Family Medicine Center. The “Mothers Classes” Center in Dragash offers educational services, physical and psychological wellbeing activities, pre and postnatal care information, information on postnatal depression, breastfeeding, newborn care, baby nutrition, and immunization.

“Such support has given each woman a chance to get free access to educational health services in Dragash. Last month, more than 40 women attended our prenatal care services in Dragash only,” says Mrika Aliu, the Executive Director of Action for Mothers and Children. During the second year of our partnership, we continued with the opening of the Mothers Classes in Peja, expanding this life-saving program also in the Dukagjini region.

Two of the “Teshavesha” charity shops in Prishtina and Ferizaj, funded by Raiffeisen Bank, are visited by over 200 citizens every day who bring or buy second hand items and at the same time generate additional funds for our health programs. Supporting the start up of these social enterprises, three more women have been employed; we are contributing to environmental protection by providing a space to recycle textile and other materials from citizens; and we’re simultaneously helping mothers and children’s health with additional funds that these social enterprises generate.

“Teshavesha is a very good example of how businesses can work on Corporate Social Responsibility and contribute in many aspects with one intervention: environmental protection, employment generation, and support of a humanitarian cause,” says Janine Mehmeti, Fundraising Coordinator at Action.

Months ago the devices of Ehosonograph and Bilirubinometry were donated to the University Clinical Center of Kosovo, with the support of Raiffeisen Bank. These devices now provide a new service for children at the Neonatology Clinic in Prishtina – the echosonograph makes it possible to diagnose all heart diseases, internal bleeding, infections, central nervous system abnormalities, urogenital system abnormalities, and many other diseases in infants; meanwhile, through bilirubinometry the doctors can now measure the bilirubin values ​​in infants in a quick, painless, and efficient way, and thus prevent consequences of abnormalities in infants through early diagnosis.

“For Raiffeisen Bank the partnership with Action for Mothers and Children has been a new experience. We had the chance to contribute in the community by being able to purchase equipment or other materials, among others. The support that Action offers with their interventions for mothers and children in Kosovo is very important for us as well. Therefore, we are very pleased that we are able to be part of this success,” says Antigona Limani, the representative of Raiffeisen Bank in Kosovo.

Action for Mothers and Children’s goal is to save the lives of mothers and children in Kosovo by providing direct support to institutions and communities for better healthcare services for mothers and children. Although current statistics show a lower rate of maternal and child mortalities, the battle has not ended yet and Kosovo continues to have the highest rates in Europe.