I.W.H.A.

(IMMIGRATED WOMEN HEALTH ACCESS)

PROJECT
Reference Number – VS/2001/0193
FINALREPORT
for the period
December 2001 - July 2003


Carried out by:
Women’s Center
Municipality of Forlì – IT

INDEX
  1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

  1. PROJECT MANAGEMENT

2.1 THE CO-ORDINATION
2.1.1 NETWORKING
2.2 TRANSNATIONAL PARTNERS
2.2.1 TRANSNATIONAL ACTIVITIES
2.2.2 INTERNAL COORDINATION MECHANISMS
2.2.3 STEERING COMMITTEE
2.3 PROJECT QUALITY CONTROL
2.3.1EVALUATION COMMITTEE
  1. PROJECT ACTIVITIES

3.1 GANTT DIAGRAM
3.2 THE RESEARCH
3.3 DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES
3.3.1 WEB SITE
3.3.2 CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS
3.4 EUROPEAN HANDBOOK AND DIFFUSION MATERIAL
ANNEXES

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This report summarises the work carried out in the framework of Immigrated Women Health Access project (VS/2001/0193) from December 2001 to July 2003and describes the final results and products of the project.

The project has been presented by Women’s Center -Municipality of Forlì within the framework of the preparatory actions for preventing social exclusion of the Directorate general Employment and Social Affairs.
The contract with the European Commission was signed on 01/12/2001 (Grant Agreement).
IWHA project formally began their activites on18/02/2002, wIth the first National coordination meeting held in Forli.

Municipality of Forlì’s request of a project extension of two months, postponing the closing date of the project to 31/07/2003, has been approved.

This report has been organised as follows:

- Project Management Section

- Project Activities Section

- Annexes Section

2. PROJECT MANAGEMENT

We do confirm the organisational structure described in the application form.

The project management team included the following members:

Member /

Contact person

Municipality of Forlì’s Women’s Center (project co-ordinator) / Mrs Claudia Castellucci –
Trama di Terre Association / Mrs Patrizia Randini – ,
Municipality of Imola
/ Mrs Tiziana Poggiali –

Municipality of Cesena

/ Mrs Morena Righi –

Municipality of Ravenna
/ Mrs Raffaella Sutter –

Forlì-Cesena Province
/ Mrs Giuliana Mazzotti –

University of Bologna

/ Dr Ruba Salih –

D.O.K.P.Y. - Municipal Organisation for Social Intervention and Health –

/ Mr Spyros Iatropoulos –

OASE Pankow - Advice and Meeting Center for Immigrants

/ Mrs Gabriella Torok –

City Council of Malaga – Unit of Social Welfare

/ Mr Francisco Rio Oliva –

2.1 THE CO-ORDINATION

The first meeting of the co-ordination group was held in Forlì on February 18th 2002 and the participants were representatives of Municipality of Forlì, Trama di Terre Association and Forlì-Cesena Province; during the meeting Claudia Castellucci from Municipality of Forlì (project co-ordinator) gaveall the information about the project approval and a proposal was submitted about the setting up of a research group; a discussion about the role and responsibilities of this group followed.

In particular, the main aspects which emerged during the meeting are connected to the different partner’s roles: Municipality of Forlì represents the project file-leader for all the aspects connected to the fulfilment of the bureaucratical roles, the co-ordination of the activities, the contacts between the Italian and foreign partners and with the European Commission; nevertheless every single Iwha Project’s partner should always give a contribution by suggesting ideas and new issues to develop and participate to the research activities for the part which pertains to them – that is the reason why at the beginning of the project a virtual Iwha Project’s Forum has been created on Municipality of Forlì Women Centre’s Internet Site.

The co-ordination of the project was organised as follows:

a) Co-ordination of the activities foreseen by the project and of the partnership was a task of Municipality of Forlì.

b) Administrative co-ordination and reporting was ensured by Municipality of Forlì.

c) Co-ordination of the research activities was ensured by Dr Ruba Salih from University of Bologna and researchers of Trama di Terre Association.

d) Creation of the evaluation committee.

e) Creation and updating of the website.

f) Creation and animation of the forum.

g) Creation of the local working group with representatives of the local institutions involved in the project.

h) Dissemination activities were co-ordinated by Municipality of Forlì and carried out by all the national and transnationa partners.

Five meetings were organised from February to October 2002 with the purpose of focusing the research objectives and methodologies and discussing in detail the roles and tasks of the people involved in the project.

These meetings has been held in these dates: February 18th , March 14th , March 22nd , April 3rd , May 13th , October 31st .

Three meetings were organised from January to July 2003 with the purpose of focusing the research results and deepen the analisys on some cross-cut themes, as well as for discussing the dissemination activities plan in all the countries involved and the organisation of the final transnational conference.

These meetings have been held in these dates:

February 21st/ 22nd/ 23rd ; March 12nd, June 27th-28th

See ANNEX “A” for details

Months
/

Status

February

2002

March
2002

March

2002
April
2002

May

2002

October

2002

February

2003

/ First national co-ordination meeting held in Forlì on February 18th in order to give all the information about the project approval. Submission of a proposal concerning the setting up of a research group. Discussion about roles and responsibilities.
Second local co-ordination meeting held in Forlì on March 14th .
Third local co-ordination meeting held in Imola on March 22nd .
Fourth local co-ordination meeting held in Imola on April 3rd in order to organise the kick-off transnational meeting and discuss the main aspects connected to that.
Kick-off Transnational Meeting held in Imola on May 13th in order to present the hypothesis concerning the project guide-lines, discuss the research methodologies and approve them.
Meeting of the local co-ordination group organised in Forlì on October 31st in order to verify the development of the activities.
Second Transnational Meeting held at OASE Pankow – Berlin -- on February 21st-22nd-23rd with the purpose of starting up of “in itinere” evaluation process, discuss and agree with the first drafts of the handbook and the main issues to develop, discuss the web-site contents and collect administrative data and documentation and deepen some cross-cut themes emerged from the research activities at transnational level. During this meeting the discussion has been particularly focused on the ‘cultural mediator’ professional profile in relation with the social services operators and the access to health services of migrant women.
March
2003 / Co-ordination meeting held in Bologna on March 12ndth in order to discuss some of the aspects connected to the creation of the final multilingual European handbook, the first draft of the evaluation report and the implementation of the dissemination plan.
June 2003 / Final public Conference held in Forlì on June 27th-28thin order to present the project’s results and raise awareness on the access to health for immigrants.

2.1.1 NETWORKING

A permanent group has been created at local level, with representatives of the Emilia Romagna Region, the Municipality of Forli, the Forli Province, the Ravenna and Imola Municipalities. This group is actually linked to the Regional Group against social exclusion, As mentioned above, the group decided to submit a new project under the 2002 call against social exclusion - with some of the transnantional partners involved in Iwha project -for a better understanding of citizenship practises developed by migrant women associations and for testing new and more effecive tools of democratic participation in the decision processes. The proposal hase been selected for funding by the EU.

We would like to point out that this group has also become a space to reflect particularly on the relation between social changes and and social policies. From the interrelation with migrants groups/associations and the analisys on the best practises has emerged that major changes are requested in policy thinking, based on and a bestter understanding of individual social strategies, in other words it was evident that the lack of flexibility of local institutions sometimes do not allow to successfully improve enabling policies and to give value to individual for a better comprehension of the social transformation processes.

We would also add that, in that view, we submit a proposal under the phase II call, in the framework of the EU Program againsnt social exclusion, in which we foresaw to go further in the understanding and connection between the informal strategies developed by women associations in Europe, to identify ciizenship indicators, to experiment public discussion forums and to record all the processes and the biographies on a ‘story book’.

Unexpected results: we would also to report some unexpected results of Iwha project . In the new regional immigration law, for the first time some ‘Intercultural centres’ run by women associations – and involved in this project- have been formally recognized as relevant public spaces eligible for public funding and institutional support.

In addition, during the year 2002 a feasibility study for the creation of a welfare observatory has been carried out by the Province of Forli and copy of the final report has been sent to all the national partners of Iwha project. Moreover, a project funded by the Emilia Romagna Regione FESR has been developed for creating a network of women associations and Centres in the Mediterranean Countries.

2.2 TRANSNATIONAL PARTNERS

At a European level, we confirm that, as stated in the Interim Report, Municipality of Forlì involved in the project’s transnational network the following foreign partners:

PARTNER / CITY /COUNTRY / CONTACT PERSON/
WEB-SITE
D.O.K.P.Y. - Municipal Organisation for Social Intervention and Health - / Nea Ionia Magnesias - GREECE / Mr Spyros Iatropoulos -
;
OASE Pankow - Advice and Meeting Center for Immigrants / Berlin –
GERMANY / Mrs Gabriella Torok,
Mrs Karintha Hemenway -
;

City Council of Malaga – Unit of Social Welfare / Malaga –
SPAIN / Mr Francisco Rio Oliva –
;

About the transnational partnership

The project management team incurred in some problems concerning the substitution of the Portuguese partner MORNA/Associacao Cultural Luso-Africana (which withdrew from the project from the beginning of the activities)with the Swedish Country District (Spanga-Tensta Country District – Dept. For Integration and Development) which obliged the team to delay the definition of the transnational background. Despite this delay and the initial decision of Spanga-Tensta Country District to take part to the project’s activities, it finally declined the invitation in taking part to the project’s activities.

These reasons led the IWHA partners (Italy, Germany, Greece and Spain) to the final decision to pursue the overall objective of the project only with their efforts, guaranteeing the financial contribution foreseen from MORNA by the lead applicant own resources. Due to this changes and modifications from the original workplan, Minicipality of Forlì made also a check on the sustained and provisional expenses and noticed some adjustments that seem necessary to the best success of the activities. In accordance to Article 8 of the Grant Agreement, Municipality of Forlì submitted a new budget proposal with the new amounts’ redistribution which has been approved.

2.2.1 TRASNATIONAL ACTIVITIES

Several activities have been carried out in strict collaboration with the IWHA transnational partners (all the related documentation remain at disposal of the service for a deepest analysis) in order to pursue the general objectives of the project.

Here is a complete list of the project activities from the beginning to the end:

Description of the activity
Information to all the partners about the project approval, deadline, main activities, working plan proposal, project team.
Contact with the partners for organising the kick-off meeting in Italy.
Request of additional information about the partners’ activities.
Realisation of the kick-off meeting in italy in May 2002 (discussion about the project activities, roles and responsibilities. Discussion about research plan for the empirical research, roles and activities of the partners, working plan for the research activities in Italy and common criteria for the screening activities in the partners’ countries.
During the meeting a special session has been devoted to the discussion among institutional representatives for the feasibility study aimed at the creation of a permanent group acting as a laboratory and linked with the existing ‘regional laboratory against social exclusion’
a special press conference has been organised in the Municipality of Imola for the presentation of the project to public.
A special session has been devoted to the Information to the partners about the administration rules.
Update: first results of the screening activities in the partners’ countries and request of providing existing papers (researchers, seminar proceedings, abstracts of publications, presentation material) at national level.
Circulation of the papers to all the partners.
Information to all the partners about the going-on activities of the Italian research: methodology, context information, subjects involved.
Information to the partners about the seminar organised by the EU for the selected projects under the call 2001/014 and sending of a list of web-sites for the 46 selected projects.
Sending of the first results of the Italian research to all the partners and identification of 4 cross-cut themes to be considered for identification and analysis of the best practises in all the countries involved in the project.
Preliminary papers: a) Ad hoc services for immigrants: segregation or integration? b) Health and poverty: an unbreakable bond c) Cultural mediation and acknowledgement of ‘ cultural difference’ in services.
Transantional partners provide additional information about identified case studies and interviews.
Request to the transnational partners to provide bibliographies of national interest, related to the project themes.
Circulation of the papers received by the partners.
Sending of the preparatory papers for the second transnational seminar in Berlin: sending of a programme proposal to all the partners.
Preliminary papers: a) transversal issues and problematic areas
b) Preparatory paper: short description of the ‘best practises’ selected at transnational level
c) First outcomes of the Italian research
In addition:
-Observations about migrant women and public services.
-Observations about the ‘Cultural Mediator’ profile in Italy and in Europe.
-Examples of best practices addressed to migrant women in the services provision (case studies from the transnational partners OASE Pankow, DOKPY and Municipality of Malaga).
Sending of a proposal of transnational bibliography to be listed in the final researchreport.
Second transnational seminar in Berlin in February 2003.
During the meeting a special session has been devoted to discuss a selected theme: the cultural mediation. During the seminar a special session has been devoted to pay visit to some Women Centres, for deepening the analisys about the selected best practices.
Organisation of the final public conference.
Creation of the local study group, linked with the Regional Group against social exclusion, and formed by representatives of the Italian Municipalities involved in the project. It’s worth saying that the group decided to submit a new project under the 2002 call against social exclusion - with some of the transnantional partners involved in Iwha project -for a better understanding of citizenship practises developed by migrant women associations and for testing new and more effecive tools of democratic participation in the decision processes
The proposal has been selected for funding by the EU.
Final version of the handbook , translation in English and printing in 3000 copies (distribution to all the national and transnational partners – see section dissemination).
Final evaluation report, translation in English and sending to all the transnational partners.
Dissemination of the project’s products at local, national and transnational level.
Final conference held in Italy in June 2003.
During the conference a close session has been devoted to a discussion among the partners about the project results and the further steps for consolidating the partnership through next projects at national and transnational level
Dissemination of the conference proceedings.

2.2.2 INTERNAL CO-ORDINATION MECHANISMS

The project coordinator has assured the regular circulation of the information about the on-going activities inside the project team, among all the partners involved, collecting updated reports from the research group and the evaluation committee to discuss with the Steering Committee and establishing a direct link with all the partners during the preparation of the national and trasnational meetings.

At a research level, all the activities have been coordinated by Trama di Terre Association under the supervision of the research supervisor responsible of the contacts with local and transnational partners and of the gathering of materials and information elaborated on the matter.Trama di Terre Association is an Intercultural Center run by a private association of Italian and migrant women located in Imola - near Bologna. It came about in Imola in October 1997 following a meeting of native and immigrant women who were attending a course financed by the ESF and organised by a training centre, resulting in the setting up of a women's business enterprise with a strong social bias. The place that plays host to the activities of the association is situated in the heart of the city and was inaugurated in March 1998 as an "Intercultural Centre of Mediation", a real “open house” generating andconsolidating strong relationships between women of diverse ethnicity, promoting cultural exchange activities and creating job opportunities for these women, thus going beyond the remit of a purely charitable set-up.

In addition to regular contacts by e-mail, telephone and fax, all the project’s partners may visit the I.W.H.A. project web-site and forum. It gave a contribution to the exchange of information between the partners and to the diffusion of materials. The idea would be to enable the co-ordination of common activities to be made through this new means and to promote the contacts between the partners and the exchange of opinions, ideas, suggestions.

We have to underline, however, that the lack of IT tools and trained people, especially of associations and groups, made it difficult to get a high level of participation and contribution. What we plan to do in next projects is to foresee contact and discussion meetings with small groups and, after observations, to record printed reports open to further suggestions and integrations.

2.2.3 STEERING COMMITTEE

The Steering Committee is composed by Municipality of Forlì, Trama di Terre Association, researchers from Bologna University, representatives of Emilia Romagna Region and the foreign partners of the project.