A Family-based Child Health Education Curriculum for Refugee Families

Background: Refugees are at risk for low health literacy and high rates of illness and hospitalization. A partnership between medical professionals at Yale and two New-Haven, CT-based refugee resettlement organizations aimed to create and implement a family-based, interactive pediatric healthcare curriculum with a goal of increasing childhood health knowledge among refugee families. Methods: Seven 1-hour, in-person classes and 1 virtual class were taught by pediatric residents with real-time translation in Pashto, Dari, Arabic, Swahili, and Kinyarwanda on the topics of child nutrition, safety, parenting, and oral health. Each class incorporated play-based activities for toddlers-a My Healthy Plate puzzle, street-crossing simulation, teeth-brushing demonstration, and block play-which were integrated into parental discussion with visual aids. Knowledge acquisition and satisfaction was assessed using pre- and posttests. Results: 67 adult participants had an 85% response rate. Average knowledge test scores increased in 5 of 7 classes, reaching significance in a class on parenting (mean 52% vs 90%, paired t-test p = 0.03) and child safety (mean 80% vs 97%, p = 0.04). 100% of respondents (67% response rate) reported increased understanding of the topic and would recommend the class to a friend. There were 5 participants for the virtual class. Conclusion: Child health education classes conducted for refugee families can improve knowledge of pediatric healthcare topics and provide positive experiences. A close relationship between healthcare providers and community refugee organizations has the potential to improve health education in refugee families. Future studies will assess efficacy and satisfaction of virtual classes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Livelihood of Chinese Migrants in Timor-Leste

This article aims to describe, in depth, the experiences of migrant workers from China in maintaining their livelihoods in Timor-Leste through entrepreneurial activities before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, this study discusses sustainable livelihoods with the knowledge of migration, adaptation, and entrepreneurship in Timor-Leste. To fulfill these aims, a qualitative methodology with a phenomenological approach was adopted by interviewing eight Chinese migrants who run businesses in Timor-Leste. Furthermore, the framework for the concept of sustainable livelihoods of the Department for International Development (DFID) was adapted to explain, in depth, the phenomena. The finding reveals that economic reasons encourage and attract Chinese migrant workers and entrepreneurs to Timor-Leste. The adaptation process of migrants in Timor-Leste relies on social capital to synergize with local communities in terms of culture, further affecting the comfort and security of entrepreneurship. From the perspective of sustainable livelihoods, migrant workers take advantage of human capital in the process of accumulation of financial capital to enhance their business activities. Meanwhile, migrant entrepreneurship expands their financial capital and human capital into social capital, physical capital, and natural capital. The findings also explain that the mobility and access to financial capital of Chinese migrants are supported through institutional structures, entrepreneurship activities, and policies. Furthermore, to ensure livelihood sustainability and business, Chinese migrants in Timor-Leste can carry out business intensification, extensification, diversification, and transformation strategies.