HEALTH
Improving Health for Women and Children
As women, when we are feeling healthy and strong and balanced in our lives, we are able to be successful in all of our activities—in our work, caring for our children, and in our relationships with family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. How rested we are, how strong we feel physically and emotionally, how clear thinking we are—impacts everything we do and how well we do it. All the programs offered by AWAGO in the areas of education, women’s empowerment, and health are designed to help women and girls to be the best we can be so that we are able to accomplish maximum, and fulfill our goals and dreams for ourselves and everyone around us.
Our Work with Shanti Uganda Society
and Maternal Care
AWAGO is proud to be starting a new partnership with Shanti Uganda Society. Shanti, which is a registered Canadian charity and Ugandan NGO, is working to improve infant maternal care by providing safe women-centered care and support for the well-being of birthing mothers and women living with HIV/AIDS in Uganda. Their work and relationships are deeply rooted at the community level offering a holistic birth model based on the midwifery model of care, embracing best practices and traditional birth methods. Located in Kasana Luweero, Shanti’s first programs began in 2008 and in the spring of 2010 they opened the doors of the Shanti Uganda Birth House. Shanti leaders have recently learned the TM technique and we are all looking forward to bringing our programs to the Shanti birthing mothers to provide the health benefits that the Transcendental Meditation technique can bring to pregnant women and to individuals living with HIV/AIDS.
Wide Use of the Transcendental Meditation Technique for Overcoming Stress
The scientifically validated Transcendental Meditation technique has been implemented in hospitals, clinics, and rehabilitation centers, as well as with at-risk populations throughout the world. The TM technique has been found to be a powerful tool for stress reduction and a valuable addition to programs designed to help individuals cope with stress.
The many benefits of the practice include:
- Deep rest
- Reduced stress
- Increased energy and stamina
- Decreased anxiety and depression
- Improved sleep
- Improved communication and leadership skills
- Increased job satisfaction and career success
Corporate Wellness Programs
AWAGO is also currently offering programs in the corporate environment, teaching exclusively to the population of women and girls to address the particular needs of women to reduce stress-related health issues. The introduction of the TM technique has been found to be a practical and effective way to help a company achieve its goals and objectives by providing support for the well-being of its employees. Documented benefits for the corporate environment include: increased efficiency and productivity, enhanced creativity, improved communication, improved interpersonal relationships, reduced absenteeism, and increased overall well-being and job satisfaction.
What Corporate Leaders Have to Say
“If you want your employees to eliminate stress and not just cope with it—which is what companies spend a great deal of time doing today—then having them learn the Transcendental Meditation technique is the best way to do it.”
“We implemented the Transcendental Meditation program for the mental health of the employees using the budget of the health insurance division. Nine hundred people participated. In order to prepare for the diversified trends of modern society in the coming age, I think the Transcendental Meditation program is indispensable.”
Helping Health Care Professionals Reduce Stress
Another new area of focus is our work with nurses in Uganda to provide programs for these health care professionals who are known to experience high levels of stress or ‘nurse burnout’. Nurse burnout is a common concern for nurses around the world, resulting in attitude problems and ineffective performance that impacts the quality of patient care.1 The nursing profession attracts individuals who are strong and supportive and who want to make a difference in people’s lives, however statistics show that over 40% of hospital staff nurses experience nurse burnout.2 The effects include:
- Increased physical and emotional symptoms
- Increased absenteeism
- Increased errors in decision-making and routine tasks
- Decreased ability to work with colleagues and supervisors
- Decreased quality of patient care
Comments From a Uganda Nurse
“TM has established a very settled state of mind that makes me efficient and fast in decision making especially when receiving emergency cases in the hospital. TM has helped relieve my daily stress, which accumulates during the pressured moments with patients. I have developed more tolerance to accommodate the various demands of patients and I also experience improved memory which enables me to remember my pharmacology. TM has also helped improve my relationship with other workers, and overall I have become more lively and happy in my profession.
TM has also helped me evolve personally by improving my own health so that I no longer get stress related illness. TM has helped me combine my work and family affairs easily, to an extent that I have some time for myself and plan for my future.”
The following is a video of interviews of nurses at a hospital in USA:
Contact US
To organize a TM course for your organization in Uganda
Judith Nassali, National Director
African Women and Girls Organization for Total Knowledge, Uganda, Ltd.
Tel: +256 782507294
Email Us
REFERENCES
1. Cimmiotti, J., Aiken, L., Sloane, D.M., & Wu, S.M. (2012). Nurse staffing burnout, and health care—associated infection. American Journal of Infection Control. 40, 486-90.
2. Aiken, L.H., Clarke, S., Sloane, J., Sochalski, J., & Silber, J. (2002). Hospital nurse staffing and patient mortality, nurse burnout, and job dissatisfaction. JAMA, 288(16).