Click to view this email in a browser
Tweekembe Working together for a healthier Iganga | |
| |
A Note from Alison:
Uganda Village Project (UVP) was started a decade ago. In that time, our amazing and committed volunteer board members and task force members have worked with in-country staff to support the organization and bring us to where we are now. This year, we've reached an exciting new milestone. We have hired our first part-time Executive Director, Leslie Stroud-Romero, to manage our administration and grow our finances so we can reach even more people in rural Uganda. Leslie lives in Kampala, Uganda, is a two time Peace Corps alum, and worked for the global health nonprofit PATH prior to joining us. Our new Director Leslie works hand-in-hand with our in-country staff and the board of directors to support programs, communications, fundraising, and administration. We are confident this step will help us to best support the communities we serve, to maintain relationships with our donors and partners, and to make our programs more sustainable. Please see our updated staff page for more information about the new addition to our team! If you'd like to 'meet' Leslie or give her feedback about Uganda Village Project's work and goals, you can reach her at leslie@ugandavillageproject.org. Sincerely, 
Alison Hayward, MD, MPH Chairperson of the Board
Graduation celebration!  Uganda Village Project (UVP) works in each of its Healthy Villages for three years, implementing public health education outreaches and programs. The villages that joined in 2010 now have completed our program and we celebrated to recognize all of the hard work.
During the three year program, four shallow wells were constructed in areas where there was need for safe clean water. The villagers in the five villages accessed family planning services, free HIV testing and counseling services, malaria sensitizations and the sale of insecticide treated mosquito nets at a subsidized price, and education about obstetric fistula. Villages were also supported with hygiene and sanitation education to encourage households to build latrines and keep their water safe.
All this work was a success because of the help of a vibrant cadre of Village Health Teams (VHTs) in each of the villages. The VHTs mobilize community members for meetings and workshops and at the same time help community members in the implementation of the different programs. UVP staff are key to the training of VHTs and equipping them with skills that will continue to be applied in the villages even after graduation.
For 2010 villages of Buwolomera, Bunio, Nabukone, Namungalwe Rural, and Buwaiswa, UVP organized community health fairs which attracted hundreds of people. At the fairs, other development partners were invited to carry out some of their activities. St Marys' conducted free HIV testing and counseling services, Marie Stopes Uganda provided family planning communication materials and also sensitized the men and women about family planning. Staff from the health centers diagnosed and treated people who had malaria. Children were immunized at the event, and we exhibited water and sanitation models, sold mosquito nets, and last but not least, a drama group educated and entertained the attendees.
The fairs would not have been possible without the hard work of the VHTs, partners, and UVP staff. It was a very exciting experience and the district health inspector hailed UVP for the great work well done.
Check out this blog post for more on the graduation fairs!
New VHTs ready for work
 As UVP prepares to begin work in the new 2013 villages, one of the first tasks is to elect the Village Health Team (VHT) members and train them for their work. VHTs serve as the entry point for community members into the national health system. The sub-county health official leads the election process so that the VHTs are registered with the district and they can begin building a working relationship with the government officials. Five VHTs are elected by the community in each village. The government, with support from NGOs, began training VHTs but the trainings have not been carried out in every village yet. UVP steps in and provides the training in our Healthy Villages where there are no VHTs. UVP staff organized and led the three-day training for the 25 newly elected VHTs using the national VHT curriculum. The curriculum covers recordkeeping, how to link the community to the health center, how to mobilize community members and professionalism when visiting community members. The curriculum also covers basic information on health and illnesses including pregnancy, antenatal care, malaria, HIV, TB and general first aid.
The newly trained VHTs are excited to begin work with UVP when the summer interns arrive at the end of June.
| | How can enjoying a summer cocktail help prevent malaria? When you attend UVP's Mojitos Against Mosquitos fundraisers in Seattle and DC!
Join us on Thursday, July 18th. Watch our Facebook page for more details.
In Seattle at BalMar at 6:00 p.m.
In DC at Mason Inn at 9:00 p.m.
Support UVP Your contributions help make activities like these graduation fairs happen! A gift, no matter how small, will make a big difference in Iganga. Please make a tax-deductible donation today!
| |
| If you no longer wish to receive these emails, please reply to this message with "Unsubscribe" in the subject line or simply click on the following link: Unsubscribe |
Uganda Village Project
2632 42nd Ave West
Seattle, WA 98199
USA
Read the VerticalResponse marketing policy. |  |
No comments:
Post a Comment
Keep a civil tongue.