Project Title: Saving Lives of Mothers & Children in Kitgum, Uganda
Project Number: #25670
Host Club: Rotary Club of Kitgum, Uganda
International Partnering Clubs: Clubs from District
7690 .: Mt. Airy, Alamance, Archdale-Trinity, Burlington, Clemmons,
Greensboro, Greensboro Airport, High Point, King, Pinehurst, Sandhills, Summit,
Surry Sunrise, Triad, Troy, Walnut Cove, Willow Creek, Yadkin Valley,
Yadkinville, Yanceyville, plus Charlotte South
Project Locations: Kitgum, Northern Uganda
Project #25670 provides a Mobile Health Clinic to 4 Major Health Clinics in Kitgum, their Sub-Clinics and the 16 Villages in the catchment area within Kitgum District, Northern Uganda. A
trained team of a midwife, 2 nurses and driver will teach Hygiene, Maternal and Child Health, Nutrition, Family spacing, HIV/AIDS and Malaria prevention and Care to the clinic staff, the Village Health teams, the Traditional Birth
Attendants and the Clinics Health Oversight Teams, and conduct workshops
for the health workers and the Rotary as well as the District Health
Officer. The training is expected to raise the capacity and abilities of
the health services in the selected catchment area. The team will provide
800 to 1000 evaluations monthly to pregnant and lactating women,
testing for malaria and HIV/AIDS and giving both counselling and treatment
where needed. All children under 5 will receive the WHO recommended inoculations The District Health Officer and Chief Administrative
Officer have already loaned an ambulance for 3 months, appointed the District Head
Nurse to the project, and have put the expenses for the project into their
budget for continuing the work after the 15 months of the project concludes.
Project Objectives
Kitgum Rotarians and the Project Consultants meet to plan Project Implementation and takeoff.
Project Objectives
- Start scheduled vaccination of all children under 5
- prevent transmission of HIV/Aids from mother to newborn
- prevent low-birth weight babies
- Detect birthing problems through ultra-sounds and refer problem cases to functional health center or hospital.
- ANC (Anti-Natal Care) services easily accessible at village level
- Reduce home deliveries
- Train Village Health Teams to carry out mobilization, referrals, health education, family planning. VHT's consist of 4-5 elected villagers responsible for the health of the community at household levels. Each is in charge of 25-30 households.
- Train Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA's) to refer pregnant and lactating women, all at risk children under five and pregnant women, carry out health education and family planning. TBA's are pregnancy and childbirth care providers who provide basic health care, support and advice during and after pregnancy and childbirth in rural, remote areas. They do not receive formal education and training.
- Community vaccinators trained to carry out routine vaccination.
- Improve working conditions for Health Center staff
- Reduce infant and maternal mortality
- Build capacity of Health Center Staff to handle emergencies and effectively carry out health services.
- Build capacity of HUMC (the local government selected teams which oversee each health center) by providing seminars and workshops
- Build Capacity of Health Center 111 staff to supervise and support HC two staff
- Government health authorities commit to and ensure effective health delivery
Mothers and Children wait in-front of one the clinics for the health workers to arrive.
Project Implementation Plan:
One mobile clinic ( a 4WD
Toyota Jeep, fitted with needed medical equipment and medical consumables,)
will offer comprehensive MCH services to the local population in rural areas of
Kitgum District, N. Uganda, where no functional health structure exists. The
clinic will be staffed with trained local personnel, 1 midwife,1 nurse, 1 nurse
assistant, 1 driver, all responsible for offering mother/child services. The team will consult pregnant and
lactating women, newborns for ANC and
post-delivery control & give scheduled immunization for all children under
5. Women will be screened and counselled
for HIV/AIDS. Pregnant women will be given an ultrasound, mosquito nets and
Mamaa kits. The clinic will make 4 visits to 16 villages and provide 800-1000 consultations.
Akilok Health Centre II, One of Village Clinics that will benefit from the Rotary Project.
Intensive health education will be given in disease prevention, care-giving of
newborns, hygiene, family planning and birth spacing as well as the promotion
of regular ANC visits.
The project will cooperate intensively with already existing local structures,
in particular the Village Health Teams (VHT) and traditonal birth attendants
(TBA). Both will be used to promote ANC
and Postnatal care and provide health education in the villages. The project will provide 2 seminars in MCH
for in-service training, teaching material for health education, 3-5 day
workshops for TBA's & 3-5 day workshops for VHT's in each village. VHT's will mobilize the community for
scheduled visits. In addition to the VHT's and TBA's role in education, they
will identify pregnant and lactating women or newborns at risk and refer them
to the staff of the MC.
Nursing Assistant happily receives Rotarians and the Project Team to the Clinic
The project will also provide seminars
and training for Health Clinic staff stressing the necessity of communication
between them and the VHT's and TBA's.
The HC3 staff will be strengthened to supervise and support HC2 healh services.
