Organizer 1
Arild Aambo
Head of PMV Primary Health Care
Primermedisinsk verksted
Sverresgt 4, 0652 Oslo

Tel: 23 06 03 81
Fax: 23 06 03 99
Email:arild.aamboe@pmv-senter.org







Workshop description:
In most social systems there exist individuals whom other people choose to turn to when experiencing problems or needing support. The work these individuals carry out is based on trust and they are known to make thoroughly deliberated judgements and decisions. In immigrant communities of any considerate scale these people appear to provide an especially important function. They are perhaps not pioneers in embracing the values of the new country, but they seem to have a special ability to translate the values of the new country into a language that is comprehensible and listened to by fellow immigrants. Somehow they offer both a window towards the new and at the same time help bond their own social group by building social capital. This is important because is prevents segregation. We call these individuals ‘natural helpers’. Their main value and outstanding ability lies in their social intelligence. This is an ability or skill that is presently considerably undervalued in western society where traditional schooling receives status. Health workers in many western countries are currently expressing the need for collaboration with natural helpers from immigrant cultures. Up until now, however, their role has been unofficial and unclear causing confusion and at times lack of appreciation among health workers and local council employees. Although the natural helper is greatly appreciated by the person being helped, due to lack of qualification or title their work can easily be undermined. Old Oslo is the borough in Oslo where the socio-economic situation is considered to be the least favourable, and where the number of immigrants form Asia, Africa and South-America exceeds 30% of the population. In 1994 there was established a project called “The Workshop of Primary Health Care” in this borough. Collaboration with natural helpers has been central to the workshop’s agenda. From being originally primarily concerned with women and children’s health work has developed and now encompasses groups of women and men reflecting upon their life situation. They have started work against harmful traditions like female genital mutilation, forced marriages etc, and the women are conducting preventive work against HIV and aids. Since 1994, this collaboration with natural helpers has been evaluated on 3 different occasions. In the year 2000 The Council of Europe included “The Workshop of Primary Health Care” as one of altogether fifteen European projects which have contributed to the development of new approaches in integrative work. The workshop includes lay people from Morocco, Pakistan and Somalia who collaborate with professional health workers, a lawyer, a sociologist and an historian to create meaningful solutions and develop strategies for intercultural mediation under an umbrella of Human Rights. We are currently collaborating with other agents in Norway and abroad and aim to develop an alternative qualification system for natural helpers emphasising their own methods of working. We would like to present the development of the concept ‘natural helpers’, results from the collaboration so far, and offer some suggestions for future work. We would also like to discuss the utility of the knowledge developed during this collaboration and consider its role in providing good circumstances for all inhabitants.


Goals of the workshop:
During the workshop, we will focus on different ways to bridge this gap. We will present a bilateral approach: 1: working to empower the local social worker in their assistance to refugees and migrants. 2: developing 'natural helpers' from different immigrant groups to collaborate with the health professionals. We will also involve the participants in a discussion regarding the sustainability of this bilateral way of working.




Policy relevance and topic: We believe that knowledge developed within this collaborative framework will enhance the development and delivery of helping services to immigrants


How international comparisons are included: Cassey foundations in USA are engaged in developing a qualification system for 'natural helpers', and similar moves are noticed in England and the Netherlands. We will try to include results from these areas in our presentation



Presenters / participants /other information
Gunn Gunn Karin Holt
Psychosocial Centre for Refugees, UiO
e-mail:g.k.holt@psykiatri.uio.no

Anne Ek
Toyen Distriktspsykiatriske senter
e-mail: anne.ek@lovisenberg.oslo.kommune.no

Camilla Kayed
Oslo Rode Kors Internasjonale Senter (ORKIS)
e-mail: eva.khan@redcross.no

Tahirah Iqbal, Angela Clark, Gro Magnussen
Primermedisinske verksted (Workshop of Primary Health Care)
e-mail: postmaster@pmv-senter.org

Organiser: Arild Aambo
Primermedisinsk verksted (Workshop of Primary Health Care)
e-mail: arild.aamboe@pmv-senter.org



Summary:
People from different parts of the world have different experiences and different traditions regarding helping systems. These differences are of immediate importance regarding the psychiatric services. Working within an
immigrant population, providers of health services very often have great difficulties in developing services that are considered meaningful to the
helpee. At the same time, many immigrants have difficulties approaching the official helping systems, often because of ignorance and misunderstandings.
'Natural helpers' are lay people from etnic minority groups that have shown interest and ability to collaborate with professional health workers in health promotion and treatment of illness.






Date: 12 September


(1 session is 3 hours)
Number of sessions: 1 The format of the workshop will be presentations of 25 min each to draw in the participants perspective, and then the participants will be engaged in the discussions

---