Saving Lives of Mothers & Children in Kitgum, Uganda. Project #25670

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.

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.