Project details
Europe
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Health - Social > Maternity Support Center
Activities
Establish a small library of material on family life, especially works on pregnancy and parenting. This library will be a resource for those participating in the program, and will additionally be open to the public regardless of religious confession.
Over coming 12 months at least 60 couples or women awaiting a newborn will participate in the program, during 15 scheduled sessions.
Throughout the year the Center hopes to reach 60 expectant young mothers or couples, offering 18 educational conferences.
Direct Beneficiaries
Pregnant women, young mothers, and fathers of the 10 parishes in the diocese of Banja Luka, as well as those from other religious confessions who attend the activities or use the library.
Indirect Beneficiaries
All the families and friends related to those who visit the Center; particularly members of the ten parishes in the city of Banja Luka.
THE CONTEXT
The conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina devastated the country in many ways, causing a serious demographic decline that has resulted in dramatic societal changes. According to the census taken in 1991, the ten parishes in the city of Banja Luka comprised 30,753 Catholics. Today only about 3,600 remain. In addition, the Catholic population is widely dispersed throughout the city, which creates insolation amongst the faithful.
Pregnant women and especially young mothers constitute a group with particular needs within the Catholic community, being that they are faced with significant challenges related to their pregnancies and the birth of their children. They are often alone, receiving little support or counsel from friends and family. Many times, the advice and information they do receive is inadequate or obsolete. Often questions remain unanswered: how does one best face the pain of childbirth? Will the child be in good health? Am I up to the task of being a mother? In addition, books available on the subject are very rare, and people lack the means of obtaining current Western texts on the subject.
In the city of Banja Luka, which has 250,000 inhabitants, there has been little to no public or private initiative in aid of expectant mothers. In any case, even if such programs did exist they would likely be difficult for Catholic women to take advantage of due to the ongoing serious discrimination and denial of access to services experienced by Catholics. In 2010 the Pastoral Council of Banja Luka launched a twelve month pilot program in support of young couples preparing them for marriage and child rearing. This program offers expert information and advice to pregnant mothers. Young couples and mothers receive guidance and training on how to identify and effectively face the difficult emotional issues encountered at this stage of life.
In 2010 twelve mothers participated in the pilot program. In 2011, following positive results during the pilot phase, ImpactHope intends to provide the financial and technical support needed to offer the program free of charge.
IMPACTHOPE'S OBJECTIVES
The "Maternity Support Center†seeks to assist young and expectant mothers by addressing emotional and psychological difficulties associated with pregnancy and the birth of a baby.
In the long run, the project will be an important means for the diocese to promote maternity, and foster healthy family life and human dignity according to the teachings of the Catholic Church.