Uganda

Our Project in Uganda

What is Soft Power Health?

Soft Power Health is a U.S. based non-profit 501 c3 organization that has two main components: the inner city Kids Kayaking Camp that originates from New York City begun in August of 2001 and the Ugandan project which was started in 2004 that provides education, prevention, and treatment of Malaria in rural Uganda. Soft Power Health is working with a Ugandan based non-profit, Soft Power Education to implement various education programs including work with other NGOs. Soft Power Health finished construction of a rural clinic in January 2006 for treating Malaria as well as other common diseases. The creation of sustainable, community-based programs run by Ugandans with training and assistance from our non-profit is in place and will continue to grow in the Kyabirwa village, located two and one half hours east of Kampala next to the White Nile River. This village is a rural farming and fishing village with an approximate population of 2500 people. Kyabirwa is a typical Ugandan village. Villagers live in mud-dung huts, subsistence farm, and have very limited access to education and healthcare.

Our work in Uganda is composed of four elements.
1.Education, education and education.
The education and prevention program aims to make villagers responsible for their Malaria prevention with the goal to make the program sustainable and managed by Ugandans. The education sessions explain how the malaria parasite is transmitted to humans and how it makes them ill, and how people can protect themselves from getting malaria in the future. We also discuss the financial consequences of getting sick from malaria and what mosquito nets are for and how to use them. The sessions are lively and interactive with questions and answers, games for the children, and songs about Mrs. Anopheles, the mosquito who carries the Plasmodium parasite. These education sessions take place at local schools, village meeting places and outdoor classrooms. At the end of an education session, participants can purchase subsidized mosquito nets.

2.Data collection.
Soft Power Health began its work by first visiting families in the Kyabirwa village and assessing the cost of Malaria in terms of lives lost, money spent, resources and opportunities lost and disability from the disease. It became readily apparent that no one understood how Malaria was transmitted, thus the importance of sleeping under a mosquito net. After visiting approximately 50 huts, we decided to hold educational sessions for all members of the village at the local preschool school to educate them about the lifecycle of the Malaria parasite and the consequences of the disease in humans. In addition, we trained a Kyabirwa village local, Jessica Mugerwa to be Soft Power Health's Malaria educator for the area. Since that time, we have trained 5 more local educators who collaborate with us. All people who purchase mosquito nets are entered into a data base and are visited in their homes to insure that mosquito nets are hanging properly and to record their incidence of Malaria since hanging their nets. We want to insure that no one is lost to follow up!

3.The clinic.
Through our educational sessions and hut-to-hut visitation, we discovered an enormous need for rural medical care. The nearest hospital is an hour away and very poorly staffed and supplied. Thus, we decided that the construction of a rural clinic would be of enormous benefit to the community. This clinic serves as a treatment center for Malaria and other common diseases and also as a health education center for the village. It is obvious that without the educational portion of healthcare work, the treatment of Malaria and other common diseases will do only temporary good. Thus, Soft Power Health uses the clinic for education, prevention, and treatment of Malaria and other diseases in this part of Uganda. The clinic is run by Ugandan doctors and nurses and provides basic medical care such as vaccinations and anti-Malarial medication for the Kyabirwa village as well as the surrounding villages. The Soft Power Health clinic also serves as a health education center for the local population. The town of Kyabirwa has very kindly gifted Soft Power Health the land where the to the clinic has been built.

4.The mosquito net distribution program.
Since the start, it appeared critical to combine the education and prevention program with easy access to treated mosquito nets. This is why we supply and sell treated mosquito nets to villagers. Now for approximately $1.80 villagers can buy this essential element of their health protection. Soft Power sponsors the difference, which is about $8. To date we have sold over 20,000 mosquito nets. This part of the program is very successful. Follow up has shown that people hang the nets properly and have children and pregnant women sleep under the nets prefernetially. We assess the effectiveness of the net program by returning to each home approximately 3 months after initial implementation of the nets to see if there is reduced incidence of Malaria in families. Of course, this is dependent on proper use of nets and discounting the effects of previously bitten individuals who will manifest Malaria even after sleeping under a treated net.

Where

Click here to see a map of Uganda.

Malaria Facts:
• Malaria is caused by a parasite that is transferred by the female anopheles mosquito.
• 500 000 million cases of Malaria annually worldwide (underestimate).
• 1-3 million children die every year from Malaria mostly in sub-Saharan Africa.
• 30% of the under five-population die each year from Malaria in Uganda.
• 18% of Uganda’s GDP is spent combating Malaria. (source)
• Malaria is preventable, treatable and curable.
• Education and prevention are the keys to diminishing the Malaria problem.
• Mosquito nets help protect people from getting bitten during prime biting hours 10pm-4am, thereby reducing morbidity and mortality associated with Malaria.
• One Mosquito net costs $6 and can prevent 2 children or more from getting bitten for 3-5 years.
• For only $14 a year Soft Power Health can purchase medication to treat malaria for one Ugandan child.

Solution to the Malaria Problem with our Objectives in Uganda:
• Educate the local community about Malaria through lectures, demonstrations, and hands on techniques.
• Educate the community about the economic benefits of preventative medicine.
• Reduce infant mortality due to Malaria and other preventable diseases in the Kyabirwa village and the 15 surrounding villages in this part of rural Uganda.
• Increase availability of affordable mosquito nets for rural Ugandans.
• Provide basic healthcare including family planning, prenatal care, vaccinations, HIV/AIDS education, and effective anti-Malarial treatment for rural Ugandans.
• Create sustainable healthcare and health education programs to be run by local Ugandans with help from medical and non-medical volunteers.

How will we achieve these Goals?
• Continue Malaria education and prevention program in Kyabirwa village and expand to the 30 surrounding villages. This includes training up to 15 new Malaria educators from the surrounding villages.
• Continue and expand the subsidized mosquito net distribution program headed by local Jessica Mugerwa.
• Train 15 new mosquito net distributors to work in surrounding villages.
• Contiue to staff and to run the rural clinic in Kyabirwa village.

Estimated budget for year 2006-2007: