January 2018

 
UOSSM-Canada Newsletter January 2018

Welcoming UOSSM-Canada's Newest Team Member

The UOSSM Canada board is excited to announce that Saamiyah Ali-Mohammed has joined us as the new Programs and Donor Relations Manager. Saamiyah obtained an Honours Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto, and a Masters of Public Health from McMaster University. She is a proficient speaker of Urdu, Hindi and Arabic. Saamiyah has extensive experience working with and advocating for the inclusion and rights of marginalized communities. 
 

UOSSM-Canada's Shipment of Medical Aid Containers Arrives in Syria
UOSSM-Canada sent a shipment of two medical aid containers in December 2017. This has been received at the Syrian-Turkish border for distribution to clinics and hospitals in need.
 
 

UOSSM Raises Awareness about Attacks against Hospitals in Syria
At least 18 medical facilities have been attacked since December 26, mostly by air strikes. Since the beginning of 2018, five health care providers have been killed and over 20 have been injured. In the last two weeks, there were reports of chemical weapon attacks (chlorine and white phosphorus) in eastern Ghouta, Idleb and Hama.

A cave hospital in Hama supported by UOSSM-Canada is the most recent to suffer extensive damage in this series of deadly attacks against hospitals. UOSSM has taken the lead in raising awareness about this crisis by sending out press releases to major news outlets, and calling for the responsible parties to be held accountable and for the international community to put an end to the rise in attacks.
 
 

UOSSM Holds Meeting in Gaziantep Launching a New Primary Health Care (PHC) Program
An institutional meeting was held on January 23 in Gaziantep with UOSSM, partnering organizations, and donors in attendance to review UOSSM's medical actions and develop programs in collaboration with other sectors. Topics discussed in the health panel included education, food security, health governance in Syria, and the launch of UOSSM's new PHC program.
 

UOSSM Continues to Support Primary Health Care Centres
UOSSM has been successfully providing and supporting primary health care services in Syria for the past six years. UOSSM continues to support four primary health care centres and a labour centre in northern Syria, and two primary health care centres and a labour centre in southern Syria.
 
 

UOSSM's Community Mental Health Centre Opens in Ankara 
UOSSM has opened a new community mental health centre in Ankara to provide mental health services and rehabilitation care.
 
 







UOSSM Delivers Training Series to Mental Health Staff in Southern Syria
UOSSM launched a training series to build the capacity of mental health workers, which included a first aid training and workshop on the prevention of and response to gender-based violence (GBV). The training was delivered in January to 25 mental health workersfrom mental health centres in Namar and Saida within southern Syria.







UOSSM Completes Training Program for Civil Defense Volunteers in Homs
UOSSM's Training and Qualification Department delivered a 10-day training program for volunteers working in women's civil defense centres in the northern Homs countryside (Rastan-Al-Hawla-Zafarana). The three-part training program consisted of both lectures and practical training in local field hospitals around topics of emergency care in women and obstetrics, emergency care in times of war, and techniques and basics of nursing in times of war. 

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