Uganda Healthcare Outreach
Nursing staff and volunteers engaged by the Uganda Rural Fund (URF) are dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of children and adults in Uganda’s rural communities.
Historically, Uganda had one of the worst health systems in the world. However, much has changed, and the country is steadily progressing in its performance. Two of the biggest hurdles to overcome are access to health services and the lack of resources to provide those services.
The URF seeks to improve the health and wellbeing of children and adults in rural communities. To achieve this, it focuses more on prevention than treatment, with much of its work conducted through community health talks in villages and local schools.
Nursing staff and volunteers visit villages teaching basic health tips, particularly related to personal and household hygiene and sanitation. This includes handwashing, cleaning the house and compound to remove stagnant water that can become a breeding ground for mosquitoes that transmit malaria, boiling water for drinking, washing hands after using latrines and food preservation.
The nurses build close relationships with the community and collaborate with the local Village Health Workers, who are generally the first responders, particularly with basic health education and health monitoring.
In addition to the health promotion and prevention activities, nurses provide clinics where basic health check-ups and treatments are undertaken, and referrals to hospitals for more specialised treatment can be made.
The clinic facilitates HIV testing and counselling through a partnership with Uganda Cares! URF also engages in the struggle to prevent malaria, which is a number one killer disease in Africa, and provides a women’s health van which facilitates women and children to access treatment.