Rwenzori Women for Health
I set up Rwenzori Women for Health (RWFH) in August 2012. This Outreach Programme, based at Kagando Hospital was developed to address the health needs of the community living in the Rwenzori Hills. The focus of the project is to empower women in rural areas, not only to look after their own health but that of their families and community. We do incorporate the health needs of men as well and the team is greatly encouraged when the men support their women on the various Outreaches.
RWFH achieves all this through teaching a range of health education topics, including basic 1st aid. Twice yearly we offer screening for hypertension, diabetes, malnutrition, HIV, and run a deworming programme ( we deworm all, not only children as is the Government health programme); any abnormal results are followed-up and/or referred to Kagando Hospital. We have in the past also screened for cervical cancer – further info below.
Overview of Umbrella Projects
Over the years the project has evolved from a once weekly programme to a full time project employing 3 nurses, as well as other health support staff, and field workers, depending on the health topic. The health topic is changed monthly or be ‘disease specific’ if there is an infection outbreak.
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Another change is that RWFH has increased its range of activities and geographical reach and all have been brought under the umbrella of RWFH. This has proved beneficial not only because the team can co-ordinate and manage the various initiatives more effectively but easier to mange administratively and for funding purposes! Two of these initiatives are ‘hospital-based’ as the community starts from the hospital itself: the patients and their attendants are the first point of contact and they offer an insight of what is happening in the community. Also the staff on the various projects can support each other as and when needed, which helps with the overall costs.
Rainbow Room
The RainbowRoom is where play therapy happens. It is so lovely to see children, and adults, sing have fellowship and of course lots of play! Just for a moment in time there is laughter and the forgetting of pain and worries.
Nutrition Classes
Malnutrition in this area is not only due to the poverty, and weather affecting the crops, but for many there is also a lack of nutritional knowledge. Sadly the legacy of a strict lockdown has seen a significant rise in malnutrition – not only in children but adults as well. RWFH is lead for nutrition in the hospital and Community.
Every Wednesday nutrition demonstration classes are held at the RainbowRoom as it has a traditional oven. Mums whose children have been admitted to hospital because of malnutrition and/or HIV or referred by the HIV clinic are invited to attend. Once the children have been discharged from hospital, they attend on wednesday for follow-up or the team visit the mums in the community, to offer further support and keep an eye on the children’s progress. RWFH also supports the Nutrition Ward which opened last year.
Menstrual Pads
In the Rwenzori area, menstruation brings many challenges to our women. Although disposable menstrual pads can be bought in “drug stores” many cannot afford them: rags are generally used. We teach women and girls how to hand stitch pads. These teaching sessions always start with a talk on puberty, as the majority of the time the mums don’t tell their daughters about periods and depending the age-range we talk about menopause as well, for even the older women are not well informed about this!
Women who demonstrate good sewing skills and are keen to make the pads are given a ‘starter pack’ of scissors, needles and material. Learning how to make pads not only helps the women to manage their menstrual hygiene but their new learnt skill can be a source of income selling pads to others.
Teens & Twenties Club
This club is for teenagers with HIV to support them, give them a focus and to let them know that they are much loved. The hospital has generously given us a small area of farm land where they grow fruit and vegetables. The money they get from their sale is put back into more seeds and each has now a chicken; I try to source funding to support them in a small way with e.g education, healthcare….and to treat them to a yearly day outing.
BodaBoda
BodaBoda are motorbikes that are regularly used as 'taxis'. BodaBoda drivers perform a very important role in the community: without them many remote villages would definitely struggle. However there are sadly many bodaboda-related accidents, causing terrible injures. RWFH has organised workshops ‘Rwenzori Bikers Safety First’ to reflect the fact that the women worryingly ride sidesaddle and the children are either strapped to the backs of the mums or seated haphazardly. The drivers are equally vulnerable and in need of support. Also the bikers are a marginalised group, and have a reputation for drinking and drug taking – this has a knock on effect not only with their driving, but sadly many wives suffer domestic abuse as a consequence.
Cervical Cancer Screening
RWFH has run cervical screening programmes to include breast examination. Some ‘post-screening’ problems were flagged up so the programme stopped temporarily. A Pathway for Cervical Screening to include management and care of women who are diagnosed with cervical cancer is now being addressed. Once established, this Outreach programme can be resumed.
All these projects have been started with the consent of Kagando Hospital Management. I do my very best to ensure that they are fully funded and not be a financial burden to the hospital.
Rita
June 2022