NORWAC has worked in Lebanon since 1982. We started as a continuation of the work done by the solidarity movement for Palestinians in Norway. NORWAC came in the aftermath of the Israeli invasion in 1982. The PLO leadership had to leave Lebanon and then came the massacre of the defenceless population in the Palestinian refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila.
Since the beginning we have worked in cooperation with Palestinian and Lebanese NGOs supporting health- and educational- projects for the poor and most vulnerable population. During these years in Lebanon our work has continued during wars, internal conflicts and unrest, the last war was in 2006. Our partners have struggled on and have succeeded in giving their services all through these hard times. (Article continues with full description of NORWAC's activities in Lebanon- click "Read More...")
Oslo University Hospital has recently signed an agreement with the humanitarian organisation NORWAC regarding supporting the capacity building of Palestinian hospitals. The agreement was signed in the end of January by Deputy Director at Oslo University Hospital, Tove Strand, and the Head of Palestine Programmes for NORWAC, John Eivind Jensen (picture). The agreement applies to institutional cooperation between Oslo University Hospital, Norway's leading teaching hospital, and Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, as well as and Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem - both which are the most important teaching hospitals in their geographic areas. Agreements between the respective hospitals were signed in Palestine during February. The primary aim of the cooperation is to send staff from the Norwegian Hospital to the Palestinian partner institutions for transfer of knowledge and experience, as well as contribute to structural development of teaching programmes at the hospitals. The needs for improving clinical skills are great, especially for the staff at Shifa who are living and working under the blockade of Gaza.
NORWAC has been working with Imam Sadr Foundation, Tyr, Lebanon (ISF) for 25 years. The foundation started its work in South Lebanon in the 1960s with the objective of offering education and health services to poor families. Amongst other things, they are running a well renowned nursing college and several health clinics in the south. Rabab Sadr is the director of the foundation.
In cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Palestine Association of Nurses, NORWAC has started a pilot project for specialisation of nurses in Gaza. The objective of the project is to form the base for a long-term, sustainable specialisation programme. The training will be a six month intensive programme which aims to graduate 45 nurses within emergency and critical care for children and adults, as well as peri-operative care. The programme focuses on clinical skills, but will also include theoretical teaching. The candidates are requited from the public hospitals in Gaza and it is prioritised to have a gender balance among the candidates. The aim is also to have Norwegian specialist to contribute to parts of the programme.
