Two grants will support farmworker child safety

For generations, farmers, their families and agricultural workers have created the agrarian landscape in Warwick. However, farming has been identified as one of the most hazardous occupations. The Warwick Area Farmworker Organization (WAFO) has been working with the agricultural community for over 60 years, and has received two important grants to address this concern.

The National Children’s Center for Agricultural Health and Safety, one of eleven agricultural research and prevention centers funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) awarded a grant to WAFO this year. It’s mission is to prevent injuries in children who live, work and play on farms in the U.S. The second grant was funded by the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan Counties.

The grants supported the development of a training module (in three components) : on safety on the farm, safety in the home and climate change impacting children. Development of educational materials was followed by training of six Community Health Workers in all three components of the module.

Community health workers are part of the service delivery of Warwick Area Farmworker Organization, educating about health practices in the farmworker community. They are recruited from the farmworker community and aim to transform the health delivery system by helping people get access to health care and be more active partners in their health care. Research on the effectiveness of Community Health Workers has indicated an increase in healthy behaviors and health outcomes. Sessions conducted by the WAFO team include:

· Small educational sessions in the migrant camps and homes of farmworkers

· Sessions for Migrant Education Parent programs

· Sessions for the Agri-Business-Child-Development- Parents (Farmworker Head Start program)

· Parent sessions and newsletters for the Dulce Esperanza program

The program has reached almost 800 farmworkers and their families to date. While the grants will end by the end of 2022, the training materials and the experienced Community Health Workers will continue to offer training to families.