Barriguda Project, by CEPS, inspires UERN master's research
Text and photos: Ariane Mondo/Ascom ISD
29/01/2016
On January 28th, Celso Lourenço de Arruda Neto, student at State University of Rio Grande do Norte (UERN) which will carry out nutritional research in the Belly Project in collaboration with the team at Center for Health Education and Research (CEPS), presented the qualification of his master's degree in the auditorium of the Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neuroscience (IIN-ELS), in Macaíba (RN).
The presentation, which was open to interested parties, was attended by employees from various units of the Santos Dumont Institute (ISD). The members of the panel were the teachers Fátima Raquel Rosado Morais (FAEF/UERN), Cleber de Mesquita Andrade (FACS/UERN) and Hougelle Simplício (CEPS & IINELS/ISD), who evaluated the project “Characterization of the nutritional profile of pregnant women from a community of quilombola remnants: a case-control”.
Belly Project
Macaíba, about 23 kilometers from Natal, is home to the largest community recognized as a remnant of quilombos in Rio Grande do Norte, called Capoeira dos Negros or Capoeiras, which has around 300 families and 1,500 inhabitants. O Belly Project, started in April 2015 by CEPS, uses the action research method to identify needs related to maternal and child health and establish prenatal care strategies for this specific population.
The project was nominated by the community itself at the beginning of the activities, during the presentation of the proposal and by the CEPS work team. The name alludes to the way Capoeiras residents refer to the Baobá, a tree of African origin revered by quilombola culture.
CEPS support
Nutritionist Celso's initial idea was to research high-risk pregnancies. He was advised to look for CEPS, a reference center in the state for cases of pregnancies of this type, and upon learning about Projeto Barriguda, he decided to focus his research on pregnant women from the quilombola community. The master's student began collecting data in September 2015 and said that if he hadn't had the Center's support, he might not have even known about the existence of Capoeiras. “CEPS was the way for me to get to the topic of work,” said Celso, who will defend his master's degree in April. Check out some photos from the qualification in the Facebook album HERE.
Find out more about the Health Education and Research Center (CEPS) at: https://www.institutosantosdumont.org.br/centro-de-educacao-e-pesquisa-em-saude-anita-garibaldi/
