Filling a family planning gap for Mariza

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Twekembe  Working together for a healthier Iganga	November 2015
Fifth time's a charm -- thanks to UVP After the birth of 35-year-old Namuganza Mariza's fourth child, Mariza decided to have an implant inserted at a local health center because she didn't want to have another child immediately. Local health centers mostly rely on visiting doctors to administer such methods, which means that usually there is no one qualified to remove implants once they have expired. In Mariza's case, when she wanted the implant removed after the prescribed period of three years, she went back to the local facility and was told that there was no one qualified to remove it. She returned to the facility four more times, each time receiving the same answer.  For village women like Mariza, having an expired implant safely removed requires traveling to Iganga Town, a 20,000 Shilling expense that very few families can afford. As a result, women remain with expired implants, limiting their family planning options and leaving them at greater risk of pregnancy. Recently, while at a burial in one of our Healthy Villages, Mariza heard a community health worker announcing that Uganda Village Project was coming to the neighboring village, Kasambika, for a reproductive health outreach. Mariza decided to brave the three-hour walk to Kasambika to see whether UVP could help her. Fortunately, one of the services that UVP provides is the insertion and removal of implants. After two years of moving around with an expired implant, Mariza was finally helped. Mariza said she was very happy that she had received free services of both implant removal and birth control pills. She reported to UVP that she is grateful that she again has the agency to choose, plan, and prepare for pregnancy.   Shallow well improves school performance We recently checked in with Bukona village, the recipient of a UVP shallow well earlier this year. Mr Kisito Ismail, the head teacher at Future Victory Primary School, reported his enthusiastic support. He noted that having a water source at his school has greatly impacted the academic performance of the school. Children no longer have to walk long distances to fetch water before or after school, so they have more time to concentrate on their homework.  Mr. Kisito appreciated the well for functioning perfectly and supplying enough water for the school families. The commissioning was done at a parents' meeting earlier this year, and the parents also expressed their happiness and gratitude to Uganda Village Project and Choose A Need, who funded the Bukona village well. How you can help The holidays are an exciting time for kids, and they are for UVP, too. You give more donations during December than any other time of the year -- and it's what keeps us going all year long!  Watch your inbox and mailbox over the next month to hear stories about kids who have changed their families' lives through their involvement with UVP. Their legacies will make a healthier Uganda, but they can't do it without you. How can you help? Give a donation on Giving Tuesday. We'll email information on how to get involved. Do your holiday shopping through Amazon Smile. A percent of your purchase goes to UVP. Give alternative gifts. A donation to UVP can purchase mosquito nets, tippy taps, or more, for a unique and meaningful gift. Mark it on your calendar to make a year end donation. Every little bit counts! Your support will change lives for the kids and families we serve every day in Uganda. Thank you for your help.	Web developer needed! UVP is updating our website to better engage readers, and we need your help! We're looking for someone who can help us customize templates and assist with technical aspects of the update. Want to help, or know someone who might? Email us! Improve health UVP relies on donations from people like you to improve health for rural villages. Your donation allows us to help villages build latrines, provide access to safe water, and more!   Donate today.            Shop and give You can support UVP this holiday season while you shop! Sign up at Amazon Smile and a portion of all purchases will be directed to UVP -- at no cost to you. If you're looking for alternative gift ideas, "shop" at our Give To The World site where we have mosquito nets, tippy taps, and more for that hard-to-buy-for person on your list! Stay connected Learn more and stay in touch! Read about the latest projects on the UVP blog Get updates about Uganda, public health, and UVP on Facebook  Follow UVP's Twitter and Instagram for photos and updates from the field Watch videos on UVP's YouTube Channel Or email us any time with questions or feedback

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