HEART project description

UN goals:

Goal 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

Goal 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

HEART aims to be the most accessible and comprehensive solution for Postpartum Depression (PPD) treatment. We are eager to spread awareness and help relevant Vietnamese moms, families, and society escape from the devastating threats of PPD in the short term and eventually transform it into the well-being of all Asians.

Social challenge: In general, the most significant barriers which Vietnamese birth mothers are facing include:

– Lack of awareness about Post-Partum Depression (“PPD”) among the birth mothers and the severity or consequences derived from the phenomenon itself. Most Vietnamese women with signs of such depression do not seek medical services.

– Outdated customs in after-birth phases for birth mothers are embedded in Vietnam’s social construct (e.g., mothers should not go outside or join social events in the first month after birth; babies and mothers should sleep in an air-tight room with a coal-heated burner, etc.)

– Limited access to adequate PPD treatment, specifically a lack of diversified and patient-specific treatments for birth mothers under the influences of PPD. It is estimated that 40-50% of PPD cases go undiagnosed and untreated. PPD is a severe problem because of its potentially detrimental impact on a child’s development, the individuals who experience it, and family. Currently, while global birthmothers experiencing PPD rises to around 20% over the years, the actual number can increase to 33% among Vietnamese women. Moreover, more and more child fatalities stem from the mother’s untreated PPD in VietNam. This aforementioned pressing issue is considered the biggest drive that initiates this social project.

Solution idea: Based on the mentioned rationales, the project “HEART” is introduced – to perform as a comprehensive platform, creating a safe space between professionals and the distressed parents as well as strengthening the community, which can altogether combat this urgent social issue. This extensive solution’s biggest goal is to:

– Raise awareness about Post-partum Depression among the relevant population.

– Perform as a bridge between leading experts, life coaches, psychiatrists, as well as the appropriate psychological advisors (especially in maternity health) and the patient, this is the fundamental services we wish to provide.

– Provide sufficient knowledge regarding the relevant topic to distressed parents in particular circumstances (lower-income tier or vulnerable groups).