Croatia Health Promotion Fund
Blog for CHPF
Croatia Health Promotion Fund (CHPF) is the global citizens' group wishing to promote love and peace in Croatian society.
Purpose
People in Croatia who lived through the war in 1991-1995 experienced, to varying extents, the following:
- The perpetrators of violence and threats were in many cases their own neighbors, colleagues, former friends, and even distant relatives. People became confused about who they could trust.
- One's identity was defined mainly by one's ethnicity.
- Basic values are shifting from a socialist way of thinking to a more democratic way of thinking.
Today, we observe that many children and youth, even those who did not experience the war directly, have problems, primarily because of the effects of the war on their parents, and on their destroyed and traumatized communities.
During the war, violence was concentrated in parts of the Croatian territory that are far from the capital. In these post-conflict regions, much of the economic and social capital was destroyed. Today, many parents are busy just trying to cope with their own problems. So, many children and youth do not have a feeling of safety, and many do not feel that they receive sustained love and attention. Additionally, they have very few role models around them. In this kind of situation, children and youth suffer from substantial psychological problems and they do not receive the care they need.
In these post-conflict regions, right after the war international aid and assistance focused on the important issues of providing materials and medications for daily survival and rebuilding, and on removing antipersonnel mines.
The mission of the CHPF is to increase motivation, knowledge and skills of people who experienced the war to assist them in facing their prolonged problems, and working with them to take actions to solve the problems.
CHPF's primary objectives are: 1) to increase the life skills of people in the post-conflict regions, and 2) to contribute to make a healthy and happy Croatian society by giving people hope and the building up feelings of trust and love.
In order to accomplish these objectives, we approach the situation in Croatia based on a foundation of the World Health Organization's five recommended health promotion strategies specified in the Ottawa Charter※１ : 1) building healthy public policies; 2) creating supportive environments; 3) strengthening community action; 4) developing personal skills; and 5) re-orienting health services.
History shows that in cases like Croatia, if the trauma and hatred of those who have experienced war directly is passed to the next generation, then there is a high likelihood that another war will erupt in the future. We believe that health promotion can prevent this from happening.
※１ Health may be a resource that one can get by loving oneself and others and feeling happiness in daily life. When you think of the required knowledge and skills to promote health, you just need to be with the one and support only when one needs you. Then, one will control one's health and improve it. It is the same as letting children study. Instead of saying, "you have to study," a child will do a better job by making a system in which the child gets interest and increases their motivation to satisfying their curiosity. If the system is not only made for one child, but also for children in their community, then the education levels of the whole community will increase. The needs of addressing health are the same. Health promotion is not only dependent on the individual's efforts, but also on supporting health of the individuals in the society as a whole.
Activities
2003
Started the six-year research project on "Female Survivors of Ethnic War in Former Yugoslavia and Their Sense of Coherence" and health promotion activities supported by funding from the Mental Health Okamoto Memorial Foundation. Presented research results at the 62nd Conference on Japanese Society of Public Health. Published the three-month magazine series, "How should we cope with stress?" From the perspectives of salutogenesis and the interviews of the female ex-Yugoslavia's war survivors," Japanese Journal of Nursing.
2004
Presented research results at: 1) the 18th World Conference on Health Promotion and Health Education（in Australia）; 2) the 63rd Conference on Japanese Society of Public Health; and 3) the 2nd Conference on Japanese Society of Health Promotion. Published the research report, "Female Survivors Of Ethnic War In Former Yugoslavia And Their Sense Of Coherence I," Mental Health Okamoto Memorial Foundation, 2003.
2005
Published the research report, "Female Survivors of Ethnic War in Former Yugoslavia And Their Sense of Coherence II," Mental Health Okamoto Memorial Foundation, 2004.
2006
In Croatia, held meetings with the International Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims (IRCT) and Coalition for Work with Psychotrauma and Peace (CWWPP) in order to build collaborating relationships. Delivered 4 lectures and cross cultural parties for: 1) high school students in Petrinja; 2) the wives of veteran and immigrants from Bosnia at IRCT; 3) the family support NGO called Marimo in Osijek; and 4) the citizens of Vukovar at CWWPP. Made a donation of toys to the kindergarten in Borovo. Participated to the conference of mental health promotion and domestic violence in Opatija. In Japan, published the three-month magazine series, "Light and Shade in Croatia, From the Health Promoter's View," Japanese Journal of Public Health Information, Jun-Oct and the research report, "Female Survivors of Ethnic War in Former Yugoslavia And Their Sense of Coherence III," Mental Health Okamoto Memorial Foundation, 2005. Presented at the 17th Conference on the Japan Society of Developmental Psychology as a guest speaker.
2007
Held video conference for health professionals of Croatia (Vukovar) and Japan (Osaka). Published "Global Conference between Japan and Croatia," Japanese Journal of Public Health Information, Aug, and the activity report, Mental Health Okamoto Memorial Foundation, 2006.
2008
Published the book chapter "War and SOC," in Yamazaki etc. (Ed.) "SOC, Stress Coping Skills," Yushindo; "Sense of Coherence and Coping with War in Adolescents Directly Affected by the 1991-5 War in Croatia," Promotion & Education 2008; 15,4 and the activity report, Mental Health Okamoto Memorial Foundation, 2007.
2009
Presented at the 2nd International Research Seminar on Salutogenesis and the 2nd Meeting of the International Union for Health Promotion and Education Global Working Group on Salutogenesis (in Finland).
Directions for the future
Using the power of football (soccer) for health promotion.
1．Make friends with anybody and everybody ("creating supportive environments" and "strengthening community action").
To make friends, we need to have compassion and build warm relationships (community).
Many studies, including Ebina's, show that stability in early childhood that provides security and love is essential for building the early base for exploring new and strange environments.
However, if parents are busy coping with their own problems and they do not have a way to give secure feelings to their children, then it is important for their community to provide a sense of security and love instead.
Thus, our objective is to make a community in which one can feel that "people here will always take me in" and "I am not alone even if I am in trouble."
Through providing opportunities for children and youth to play football/soccer, children will increase their sense of confidence to be able to say, "I can do it" and their feelings of trust such as "my existence is valued, and if I can't do something by myself, my friends will help me." This shapes young minds to be oriented and skilled to help each other.
We plan to approach not only children and youth, but also their family members who can come together to play football/soccer.
2．Have fun ("developing personal skills")!
Having fun is energy to go on. However, in the post-conflict regions it is common for children and youth to live in a gloomy atmosphere at home when their parents have psychological and economic problems. In such situations, most children and youth lack a role model that they want to follow, and they have difficulties dreaming and hoping for their future. Enjoyable learning through soccer may increase children and youth's motivation for learning in other areas and activities.
It also has the possibility to encourage them to dream and make efforts for their vital life. We will make it possible for communities to support such fun experiences in schools and community settings.
3．Be happy! ("re-orienting health services")
War is mass homicide conducted by a society, whatever its social context. By having experiences of living in such a violent society, the whole community has been hurt, even until now. In such communities, to provide clinical services and donations helps to for basic survival, but these are not enough for the long term.
We will try to help Croatian people in the post-conflict regions to understand the past, their lifestyles, and values, and to help them have the repeated experiences of fulfilling their dreams, being true to themselves, and living a happy life that one can be thankful together with others to have. We plan to create such a happy environment through health promotion and football/soccer. Individuals' skills and a sustainable system to promote the health of community are important for health promotion. We will work to help create a peaceful society with love and dream (healthy individuals and sustainable system) through health promotion and football/soccer in the future.
No one has ever experienced world peace, even though war is meaningless. We can learn from the war survivors about how meaningless war is. To think about assistance and make action for world peace leads to creating peaceful societies with love and dreams.
Love in peace…
Croatia Health Promotion Fund
Chairperson: Ryoko Ebina
http://www.globalhealthcommunications.com/croatia/
