Migrant mother and child health project launched in Japan
12 April 2017
Lacking adequate support, migrants are more likely to be socially isolated and suffer from ill health.
Rei Foundation has previously partnered with SHARE to carry out a one-year research project focused on supporting migrant mothers and their new babies in Tokyo. This baseline study aimed to pave the way to develop multilingual support for public health nurse and midwife visits, better access to postnatal care, and better health outcomes.
Migrants in Japan face many difficulties in accessing and utilising health and medical services and other social support systems. Lacking adequate support, migrants are more likely to be socially isolated and suffer from ill health. One of the most challenging difficulties for many migrants is the language barrier. Multilingual assistance for local government services is especially crucial, but rarely available.
Now, based on the results of this study, Rei Foundation will partner once again with SHARE to build mechanisms to help limited and non-Japanese-speaking mothers and children access healthcare services.
Migrants in Japan face many difficulties in accessing and utilising health and medical services and other social support systems. Lacking adequate support, migrants are more likely to be socially isolated and suffer from ill health. One of the most challenging difficulties for many migrants is the language barrier. Multilingual assistance for local government services is especially crucial, but rarely available.
Now, based on the results of this study, Rei Foundation will partner once again with SHARE to build mechanisms to help limited and non-Japanese-speaking mothers and children access healthcare services.
This will include the development and dissemination of materials about these services in the mothers’ own languages and eventually the building of an interpreter system to further increase access. The institutionalisation of these mechanisms will mitigate many of the challenges faced by migrant mothers in Tokyo.
SHARE is an NGO founded in 1983 by physicians, nurses and students to support people around the world in improving their health.
SHARE currently carries out healthcare service programs in Cambodia, East Timor, and Japan to develop human resources and assist people and their communities in protecting their health.
SHARE is an NGO founded in 1983 by physicians, nurses and students to support people around the world in improving their health.
SHARE currently carries out healthcare service programs in Cambodia, East Timor, and Japan to develop human resources and assist people and their communities in protecting their health.
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