International Blue Cross Projects

Blue Cross Czech Republic Establishes a Broad Network of Counselling and Aftercare Services

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Over the last two years, Blue Cross Czech Republic has developed an extensive network of counselling and aftercare services in the Moravian-Silesian region. In this region, care and support for dependent people and their families is not fully developed as a social service yet. The services the Blue Cross Czech Republic provides, therefore constitute a valuable complement to the existing detoxification programmes offered by local hospitals and clinics. They enable clients to benefit from a professional, integrated approach towards dependence treatment that effectively addresses detoxification, therapy, rehabilitation, and aftercare.

The Wider Context in Which Blue Cross Czech Republic Works

The Czech Republic has the second highest alcohol consumption per capita in the world.
Over 30% of Czech men who drink alcohol are classified by the WHO (2011) as ‘heavy episodic drinkers’ (i.e. ‘had at least 60 grams or more of pure alcohol on at least one occasion weekly’).
In the Czech Republic beer is cheaper than any soft drink.
Like in other high consumption countries, alcohol regulatory policy development and enforcement is considered in need of strengthening.

Blue Cross Counselling Centres - A High Rate of Client Satisfaction!

Since 2009, Blue Cross Czech Republic has established three highly professional counselling centres in different locations in the Moravian-Silesian region and one in the neighbouring Zlin region. These centres offer an integrated therapy programme covering:

individual counselling;
counselling and advice for family members;
referral services – including collaboration with the Ministry of Justice, prisons, and social and legal child protection;
spiritual support if desired; and
self-help, through a network of self-help groups linked to each of the centres which aims to ensure the sustainability of the proposed support.

Within two years of operation, the local Blue Cross counselling centres have already delivered more than 500 therapy sessions to an average of 80 clients per year in each centre! Nearly as many women as men visit the centres, and about a quarter of the persons seeking help are relatives of dependent persons. Thanks to the holistic approach that combines professional therapy and aftercare with a spiritual dimension, the counselling centres achieve a high rate of successful outcomes as well as client satisfaction.

Donations Welcome!

Blue Cross Czech Republic relies, amongst others, on donations to fund its services. Please help this organisation to ensure the sustainability of its services for people affected by the harmful use of alcohol.

Blue Cross Brazil Strengthens its Network of Self-help Groups

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Blue Cross Brazil is currently developing a network of aftercare service providers in the field of alcohol and illicit drug dependence care across Southern Brazil. The aim of the network is to significantly reduce relapse rates among clients who have successfully completed their first therapy cycle. This important Blue Cross Brazil initiative is a response to the lack of integrated aftercare services in Southern Brazil – a gap which seriously jeopardises the success of dependence treatment. The Blue Cross Brazil self-help group (SHG) development initiative is therefore making a significant contribution to dealing with this critical service provision problem.

The Context in which Blue Cross Brazil Works: Some Facts and Figures

An estimated 9% of the population in Southern Brazil suffer from dependence on alcohol, making alcohol misuse a significant public health issue (Brazilian Information Centre on Psychotropic Drugs, 2005).
Public institutions are not yet able to adequately address the alcohol and illicit drug misuse problem as a public health issue. In particular, in the area of aftercare, there are almost no public services available.
There is growing awareness, though from a low base, of the importance of integrated aftercare services among nongovernmental aftercare service providers (i.e. services that include the dependent’s family members within the care and therapeutic processes).

Strengthening Self-help through Targeted Training Initiatives

In 2009, Blue Cross Brazil initiated a pioneering project aimed at establishing an extensive network of aftercare service providers in the states of Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul. The initial development of the project was as follows:

The project trained practitioners from nongovernmental health development organisations and faith based service providers in aftercare, to enable them to establish and lead SHGs in a professional manner.
Once the training was completed, participants helped establish new SHGs in their regions.
Project coordinators were trained to monitor the established groups. This enables the Blue Cross to guarantee the quality, adequacy, and sustainability of the groups’ work.
SHG regional group leaders meetings were organised to enable collaboration between the groups throughout Southern Brazil.

Through its training programme, Blue Cross Brazil succeeded in establishing 11 SHGs self-help groups during the initiation phase of the project in 2009. By December 2010, this number has increased to 37! The aim is to continue to grow and expand the network of self-help groups.

One beneficiary of the programme – referring to her experience with one of Blue Cross’s Brazil SHGs – told us in November 2010:

“I couldn’t find the knowledge, wisdom or strength to face the severe drug dependence of my son, at the university, nor in law books or even among my friends. I found the support and courage to tackle this problem only by joining the self-help group of Blue Cross Brazil. I can firmly say that the self-help group in Vacaria [Rio Grande do Sul] is the most important thing that ever happened in my life.”

Donations to contribute towards the further development and expansion of this important aftercare initiative are very welcome!

Blue Cross Chad Assists Children at Risk

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Blue Cross Chad has found that amongst the main risk factors associated with the onset of alcohol dependence are a difficult social environment, discontinuing school and exposure to networks of peers who are already dependant or demonstrate high risk behaviour. Blue Cross Chad is therefore reaching out to and assisting disadvantaged children from difficult backgrounds who are threatened by school failure and often belong to families affected by alcohol-related harm.

The Wider Context in which Blue Cross Chad Works

Blue Cross Chad is carrying out this important prevention programme in an environment where there is limited awareness of the short and longer term effects of alcohol and drug misuse. In addition, laws and regulations relating to the availability and use of alcohol are not fully developed. Within this context, Blue Cross’s Chad prevention initiative is of particular importance – as it gives these children at risk a new, positive outlook on life.

Some important facts and figures:

Chad is one of the poorest countries in the world with an average daily income of 1.5 $ per capita (UNDP, 2009).
School dropout rates are very high, especially among disadvantaged children resulting in a literacy rate that is extremely low – 31.8% (UNDP, 2009)!
Alcohol is cheap and very widely available. The suburbs of Chagoua and Dembé (N’Djamena) – where Blue Cross Chad works – have 1 bar per 1000 people, while the law prescribes not more than 1 bar per 4000 people.

The project: Alcohol and Drug Prevention for Children at Risk

Early in 2010, Blue Cross Chad initiated a prevention project for 50 deprived children (29 girls and 21 boys) between the ages of 8 and 12. The children all have difficulties at school and at home leading to difficult behaviour and poor school performance. The project has the following main components:

Life skills training: Developing interpersonal and psycho-social skills through cultural and socio-pedagogical activities such as drama, puppet plays, and sports.
Education: Helping children with their homework to increase their chance of schooling completion.
Care: Providing care and relational support, warm meals, clothing and care for hygiene in the Blue Cross centre. In addition, medical care is provided if needed through a local health centre.
Home visits: Visiting children and families at home to integrate parents and other family members into the developmental activities. As other family members may be alcohol dependent, Blue Cross Chad works to help them seek professional help, which, in turn, benefits the children.

Your Participation is Welcome and Vital!

Much progress has been made, however Blue Cross Chad is still short of notebooks, pens, textbooks, gym shoes, and theatre costumes for the courses. Our appeal to our readers is to help Blue Cross Chad acquire these commonplace, yet much needed materials.

Blue Cross Poland Provides Innovative Services to Victims of Violence

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Blue Cross Poland’s outpatient Help Centre for victims of violence is a response to a general lack of public aid for families experiencing domestic violence in the Voivodship (province) of Silesia. The Help Centre provides a holistic support system that addresses the problem of family violence which continues to be largely a taboo subject in Polish society.

While the extent of the problem is difficult to diagnose, comparative analyses of different national research studies show that:

25% of Polish families are affected by violence in one form or another;
heavy alcohol consumption increases domestic aggression and is therefore one of the main factors associated with in-family violent behaviour; and
women in particular are affected by domestic violence – as many as one in six women in Poland is reported to be a victim of domestic violence.

Blue Cross Help Centre in Bielsko-Biala Shows Six-fold Increase in Number of Clients since Project Start

The Help Centre, which has been in operation since January 2009, is part of the existing Blue Cross Municipal Treatment Centre for people suffering from alcohol dependence in Bielsko-Biala. It provides:

holistic therapy services, i.e. its services take into account the physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of the beneficiaries and their families;
legal counselling services free of charge for victims of violence;
a 24/7 helpline phone; and
a useful database that has information about all institutions providing help in violence issues in the Silesian Voivodship.

In addition, Blue Cross Poland has started a national association called ‘Subvenia Victima’ made up of ten organisations that are working on issues related to domestic violence. Subvenia Victima’s aim is to coordinate the activities of these organisations, to create synergies and to strengthen advocacy around the issue of domestic violence in policy and public circles at the national level.

In 2010 alone, the centre’s therapists counselled more than 300 persons. This constitutes almost a six-fold increase in the number of clients since the project started! The Help Centre in Bielsko-Biala is unlikely to be able to cope with very many more future requests for therapy, without expanding its services by creating new centres, for instance.

Over booked! Please donate to Blue Cross Poland, if this story resonates with you, so more victims of violence can get access to professional therapy and allied services.

Blue Cross Brazil Provides Much Needed Professional Training to over 600 Care Givers

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

In Southern Brazil, treatment services for dependent people are provided mainly by civil society stakeholders such as NGOs, churches, and community-based organisations. The professionalism of these services is however not always guaranteed as they rely largely on volunteers and former dependents who have not necessarily had the opportunity to undergo proper training in the areas related to substance misuse and therapy. Consequently, the Brazilian government developed some much needed regulations for minimal standards with regard to treatment services, in 2001. Unfortunately, it did not follow up the regulatory overhaul with improved and adequate professional training opportunities for care givers.

Highly Professional Courses in Psychoactive Substance Misuse Treatment

Blue Cross Brazil helped close this gap by designing extensive professional courses in psychoactive substance misuse treatment, in close collaboration with the Lutheran Faculty in Blumenau (Santa Catarina). The modules of these courses cover the following themes:

The physiology, pharmacology and psychology of psychoactive substance dependence.
Therapeutic community approach
Relapse prevention

The courses emphasise the importance of integrating theory and practice. By the end of each course, participants are expected to understand how to effectively interact with clients using their newly acquired skills and drawing upon theory to inform their actions. Much attention is also paid to issues related to ethics and values which greatly influence the quality of interactions with clients.

In 2010, a total of 18 courses were offered to more than 600 professionals and volunteers from therapeutic communities, social institutions (public or private), hospitals, and churches! Through its project, Blue Cross Brazil contributes significantly to the improvement of the quality of services provided for dependent people and their families in Southern Brazil.

Blue Cross Brazil wishes to make its course offering available to other regions of Brazil. Your donations are much welcome to help Blue Cross Brazil achieve this important objective.

Blue Cross Namibia Reaches over 10.000 Students through its School Prevention Programme

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Wide-spread alcohol misuse amongst youth is a matter of grave concern in Namibia. In spite of this, public prevention measures to address this issue are still in the early stages of development. Blue Cross Namibia has stepped in to narrow this gap and is actively developing such preventive measures. Through its innovative, well-designed, and comprehensive school prevention programme it has effectively assisted many young people who are both directly or indirectly harmed by alcohol and/or illicit drugs.

The Namibian Context

Recent research amongst Namibia’s youth showed that more than 50% of young people in the age group of 13-16 years have experimented with alcohol.
In fact heavy and repeated binge drinking amongst teenagers is a wide-spread phenomenon and has unfortunately been on the rise.
Easy access to alcohol amongst young people and minors remains a crucial causal factor that has not been adequately addressed.

Blue Cross Namibia Provides School-based Prevention for Students at Risk

Blue Cross Namibia launched its integrated school prevention programme in Windhoek in July 2009. The programme aims at providing young people with the facts they need to make informed decisions and to develop the “behavioural competence” to make preventive and protective choices against alcohol and illicit drug misuse. The following constitute the core aspects of the programme:

Daily life skill classes – Blue Cross Namibia works alongside regular teaching staff in schools to provide life skills classes. These classes aim to develop the students’ psychosocial and interpersonal skills so that they are more effectively able to use negotiation, refusal, decision-making, and critical thinking skills.
Counselling – Qualified social workers offer relevant counselling to high school students – i.e., 12 to 18 year olds – at Blue Cross centres with full regard for their confidentiality.
Interactive educational activities – Students participate in club activities such as chess, dance, drama, and singing at school level. These activities are designed to help bring to light problems related to alcohol and illicit drug misuse.

After the successful initiation of the programme in three Windhoek high schools, Blue Cross Namibia expanded it to nine other high schools in the capital. Today, over 10.000 students are benefitting from the programme. This is indeed an achievement worth sharing and growing!

Blue Cross Romania Scales Up its Activities

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Blue Cross Romania is one of only three non-governmental organisations in the country that offers inpatient treatment, counselling, and care for people dependent on alcohol and/or illicit drugs. In a country of 22 million people where demand for dependence treatment is already substantial and growing quickly, there is a significant need for expansion of effective services. In light of this, Blue Cross Romania has decided to scale up its activities in the form of a new therapy and care community centre that will improve and increase services available to vulnerable people who would otherwise have been neglected...

The Romanian Context

A million adolescents and adults are dependent on alcohol.
Romania, like many other Eastern European countries, has seen a massive influx of illegal drugs, the most dangerous of them being heroin.
Heroin addicts in the capital Bucharest alone increased dramatically from around 3,000 in 2005 to over 30,000 in 2011 – a tenfold increase!

"The Potter's House": A New Rehabilitation Centre to Increase Number of Clients Benefitting from Addiction Treatment

Blue Cross Romania is building a new rehabilitation centre for men – named ‘Potter’s House’. The new centre will provide services based on the ‘therapeutic community model’, where:

Clients live for several months in a therapeutic environment, to begin to adopt and experience a new lifestyle away from drug and alcohol dependence;
Clients have an opportunity to rediscover their own internal strengths, gain self-confidence and learn to take responsibility for themselves;
Rehabilitation support is provided through professionally facilitated individual, group, and occupational therapy interspersed adequately with recreational activities.
Clients’ families and guests are welcome and they are encouraged and supported to strengthen vital connections to rebuild social networks.

The new centre opens its doors in 2012 and will allow Blue Cross Romania to significantly increase the number of clients benefiting from treatment within its centres – from 160 to 300 per year!

Your help and support will be vital to build, staff, and equip it. We welcome donations!

Blue Cross Norway Expands its Training on Alcohol Policy Formulation to Various Countries in Africa

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Evidence clearly shows that alcohol policies are highly effective in alcohol misuse prevention. Therefore, Blue Cross Norway, in cooperation with the International Blue Cross and the Norwegian development organisation Forut, has been conducting an effective training programme on alcohol policy formulation since November 2009. This important programme aims at assisting developing countries in formulating, implementing and enforcing evidence and best practice based alcohol policies.

Through this programme, Blue Cross Norway significantly contributes to ensuring that country level policy debate and formulation processes take into account the latest information and evidence base about the social and health effects of alcohol misuse when considering regulatory development. This is particularly important in developing and newly industrialising countries where the development of alcohol policies is still in its early stages.

An Innovative Approach to Alcohol Policy Enforcement

The main objective of the programme is to train NGO leaders, politicians, civil servants and media representatives from developing countries to advocate and lobby effectively for an effective alcohol policy as part of the wider health and development landscape. A resource group of twenty experts is actively involved in the running of the programme. To date the programme has been involved in the following important interventions:

2009: pilot training successfully held in Malawi.
2010: programme expanded to Botswana, Namibia, and Chad.
2010: ‘Training of Trainers’ with participants from Uganda, Malawi, Namibia, Lesotho, South Africa, Chad, Botswana, and Norway
2011: additional trainings in Lesotho and Madagascar.

Donations Welcome!

Blue Cross Norway wishes to expand its training programme to other countries. Your donation will help Blue Cross Norway achieve this important aim!

Blue Cross Kenya Expands Much Needed Capacity for High Quality Care

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Blue Cross Kenya has been running a rehabilitation centre with 15 beds since 2006 in Mtito Andei, Central Kenya (on the Nairobi-Mombasa highway).The centre provides professional care and support to Kenyans who are dependent on alcohol and/or illicit drugs. The centre is however simply not big enough to address the rapidly growing alcohol and illicit drug dependence in Mtito Andei where every third adult male misuses alcohol. Blue Cross Kenya therefore needs to expand significantly its treatment capacity by constructing a new rehabilitation centre. It is hoped that this centre will be able to open its doors to clients in late 2012.

The Context in which Blue Cross Kenya Works

In Mtito Andei, around 30% of men show alcohol use disorders, often associated with high levels of poverty and unemployment in the area.
The consumption of homebrewed alcoholic beverages is wide-spread. These beverages can contain highly noxious substances – which can lead to blindness and severe intoxications, and even to death.
The National Agency for the Campaign against Drug Abuse (NACADA) confirms that substance abuse has become a public health issue in the country and the essential problem is being able to adequately address it. There is a lack of easily accessible dependence treatment as there is very limited public funding available to provide treatment services. Consequently, the services available are mainly provided by private institutions and are relatively expensive.

A "Therapeutic Community" to Provide Quality Treatment to People Dependent on Alcohol and/or Drugs

The new centre will be based on the ‘therapeutic community model’ and will have 50 beds. It will offer:

individual and group counselling;
occupational therapy;
vocational training;
life skills training; and
leisure activities.

In the centre, nearly 100 clients, at least of half of whom would otherwise not have access to any other treatment possibility, will benefit from high quality treatment each year!

Donations Welcome

Please help Blue Cross Kenya to build, staff, and equip its new rehabilitation centre!

Blue Cross Poland Offers Care and Therapy to Former Prisoners and Homeless Men

Sun, 02 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

In the past few months Blue Cross Poland has expanded its care and rehabilitation services for former prisoners and homeless men. This has been because there is an increasing demand for quality services for marginalised men, who are often affected by alcohol-related harm and find it difficult to get any help. The lack of assistance is partly due to insufficient public service provision for addiction-related homelessness. Through its rehabilitation centre, Blue Cross Poland is playing an important part in helping close this support gap.

Blue Cross Poland Rehabilitation Centre - Integrated Quality Care for Marginalised Men

The Blue Cross Poland Rehabilitation Centre was established in 2005 and is supported by the Ministries of Justice and of Labour and Social Policy. The Centre focuses on providing holistic care and treatment to clients. The support provided encompasses physical, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions of care. The rehabilitation programme provides the following activities:

Individual counselling sessions for those who suffer from alcohol dependence.
The possibility to be part of self-help groups where clients can share their difficulties, challenges, and joys and look for ways forward together with other members.
Occupational therapy including activities covering a wide range of skills (both work related and life skills)
Vocational therapy to enable clients to resume employment.
Leisure activities to help clients better use their free time without drinking or involving themselves in criminal activities.
Spiritual support – if the client so desires.

In 2010, the Centre more than doubled its intake. 42 men benefitted from the Centre’s services of whom many recovered, 9 soon returned to employment and 12 were able to find safe shelters or homes outside the Centre!

Donations Welcome!

The Centre does not have guaranteed ongoing funding due to a lack of public funding for rehabilitation purposes. We encourage you to support its work by donating to this important and much needed project!

Blue Cross Poland Offers Support to People who Grew Up with an Alcoholic Parent

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000

The Polish Blue Cross was among the first in Poland to recognise the importance of treating the ‘Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA)’ syndrome which affects people who grew up in families with a dependent parent. In the words of Benedykt Biegun, social worker and programme coordinator at Blue Cross Poland, “affected people usually feel vulnerable and pessimistic about their life. For them, it has no meaning, and they are often overwhelmed by life’s challenges which in turn cause them to fall prey to anxiety and depression”.

In Poland, there are almost no public services for people suffering from the ACA syndrome. The Polish Blue Cross therapy services, specifically designed for the ACA, are therefore of utmost importance as they provide care and assistance to people who otherwise would be neglected.

The Wider Context in which Blue Cross Poland works:

In Poland, out of a population of 38 million, around 1 million people are dependent on alcohol (WHO, 2004).
An estimated 3 million people are negatively affected by the harmful use of alcohol of one of their family members – be this in the social, psychological, physical or financial area. 1.5 million of these are children.

Self-help for 'Adult Children of Alcoholics': Integrating Virtual and On-site Treatment Options

In 2009, Blue Cross Poland established its first self-help groups for ACA in Bielsko-Biala, Zywiec, and Czechowice-Dziedzice (Silesia). This much needed project offers the following services:

Self-help group meetings led by professionals
Individual counselling and advice
An internet-based forum for ACA

In 2010, more than 60 people between the age of 25 and 40 benefitted from the centres’ services! Usually, these are either dependent on alcohol themselves or co-dependent. 80% of them are women.

Donations Welcome!

Blue Cross Poland wishes to expand its services to reach out to villages situated in the mountains and which are distant from the Blue Cross facilities. To this end, it plans to increase its cooperation with social service centres in these areas to inform people of the existing offer and encourage them to take advantage of the Blue Cross therapy offer.

As Blue Cross Poland does not receive any public assistance to implement its project, we appeal to you to support Blue Cross Poland in this important initiative!

Blue Cross Ukraine Manages a Drop-in Centre for Disadvantaged Children and Young People at Risk

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000

In the slum of Gawan-Slabotka (Mariupol, Southeast Ukraine) education and employment are scarce. Many children and adolescents, as a result, grow up in extreme poverty, often aggravated by a parent’s dependence on alcohol and/or illicit drugs. Also, they often face discrimination, isolation, as well as physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. They then tend to adopt high-risk behaviour, such as engaging in criminal activity and/or consuming psychoactive substances.

Young people in Gawan-Slabotka usually have nowhere and no one to turn to for help. Blue Cross Ukraine has been working to address this gap by helping these affected children and adolescents face everyday challenges and offer support that can help them shape a future where there is real hope for a wholesome, decent, and socially integrated life.

The Ukrainian Context: Some Facts and Figures

38.7% of men and 8.5% of women are reported to be heavy alcohol users (12-month usage rate – WHO, World Mental Health Survey, 2005)
60.5% of boys and 45% of girls at age 15 report having been drunk two or more times in the past few months (WHO-World Global Status Report on Alcohol 2004).

Blue Cross Ukraine Designs an Effective Child and Adolescent Support System

In 2009, Blue Cross Ukraine established a drop-in centre for disadvantaged children and adolescents in the heart of Gawan-Slabotka. This secure and friendly facility provides the following specially designed services:

a shelter for the children and adolescents where they find care and free warm meals six days a week prepared by the children and adolescents themselves;
professional counselling and psychosocial support;
support services such as help with homework to increase the children’s and adolescents’ chance of completing their schooling;
leisure activities such as singing and drawing; and
regular house visits to reach out to the families as well and – if necessary – providing help to the parents to find a way out of dependence.

In late 2010, a Blue Cross Ukraine staff member related the following story about 37 year old Evgenija and her children: “Every time Evgenija lands on the street with her children Daniil (12), Jegor (6), and Masha (5), she asks us for help. She is dependent on alcohol and has no private living space for herself or her children. She cannot live with her mother, who also drinks, and does not have a permanent place to live either. Jegor and Masha like coming to us because – as they say – “it is quiet here and we can play in peace”. Daniil lives in a boarding school, not far from the drop-in centre. After school, he often comes to the Blue Cross centre for a cup of tea and sandwiches.”

Donations welcome, if you would like to help Jegor, Masha and Daniil or any of the 150 children who have used the centre regularly so far!

The Blue Cross Drop-in Centre has proved to be a real source of practical help and assistance. However, the centre is not yet able to provide all the services necessary for the well-being of the children. For example, the centre does not have a facility for team sports such as volleyball, basketball, or football. Also, many children and adolescents in Gawan-Slabotka have never left the slum, so the centre’s staff aims to organise cultural and recreational excursions to broaden their horizon. And many of them lack even everyday clothes...