Soroti integrated health care project, Uganda
Civil war has ravaged much of Uganda for the past 20 years. Fighting in the north of the country resulted in floods of refugees into neighbouring districts, placing additional pressure on health systems that were already stretched.
Soroti district, in eastern Uganda was one such area. For the duration of the war its people lived in fear of raids by rebel forces. Now that there is relative peace, three quarters of its population lives below the national poverty line and less than a sixth live within five km of a clinic.
AMREF has identified HIV/AIDS and malaria as particular problems in Soroti. AMREF has received funding from the European Union, Jersey Overseas Aid, Band Aid Charitable Trust and Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation in order to address these issues. AMREF’s three-year integrated health care project aims to:
- repair health centres and supply them with new equipment
- training formal and community health workers to deliver effective health care
- educate communities about HIV/AIDS, malaria and water-related diseases
- improve water quality and sanitation and support communities to manage their own water points
- encourage integration of formal and community-based health care
Key achievements
Since the programme started in early 2006 AMREF has:
- identified the health care needs in Soroti through surveys and meetings
- formed parish development committees, including men and women, in all 44 parishes. These PDCs have received training in health planning and are now gathering health information from their parish and passing this on to the health authorities
- trained 456 community health workers. They are each responsible for educating communities about prevention and providing basic health care for 40 households
- Trained 40 health workers in diagnosis and treatment of water and sanitation-related diseases, malaria and HIV/AIDS and health education
- drilled 14 boreholes and installed four water pumps
- organised a shipment of essential medical equipment for local clinics, due for delivery in the next couple of months