Africa

Uganda

• Enhancing rural livelihoods in Uganda through sustainable community tourism
• Strengthening Child Health in Rural Uganda
• Health Management Training in Uganda
• Uganda Sustainable Clubfoot Care Project

Enhancing rural livelihoods in Uganda through sustainable community tourism

Project purpose: The purpose of the project is to improve institutional, technological and human resource capacity to develop sustainable tourism and biodiversity conservation strategies. This will help stimulate private-sector development at the community level, address environmental issues and promote good governance.

Key results to date: The curriculum for a new Masters degree in sustainable tourism at Makerere University (MU) has been developed. The first intake is planned for the fall of 2008. The sustainable tourism and biodiversity conservation resource centre has been established in the department of wildlife and animal resource management. The project library is growing and users have access to the University of Manitoba's online library resources. Four faculty members from MU undertook experiential training in sustainable nature based tourism. During the training, they interacted with leading researchers and practitioners in sustainable tourism and park management. Lessons learned have been incorporated into case studies currently being used in tourism courses at the university. As a result of a baseline study of communities bordering protected areas to identify their concerns and opportunities, partners have selected the Ruhija community bordering Bwindi Impenetrable Forest as the first demonstration community.

Uganda Sustainable Clubfoot Care Project

Project purpose: The project purpose is to make available in a sustainable fashion a universal, effective, efficient and safe treatment of the congenital clubfoot deformity in Uganda.

Key results to date: The Ministry of Health approved the Ponseti method to treat the congenital clubfoot deformity in all health training institutions in Uganda. To date, 21 clubfoot clinics are operational (Mulago National Referral Hospital, 12 Regional Referral Hospitals and eight district hospitals) in Uganda's four regions. The clubfoot screening module was approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Uganda and 634 nurses and midwives acquired the knowledge and skills to detect the deformity. Partners conducted an ethno-cultural survey that highlighted barriers to health care. Adaptive measures such as picture-based awareness materials have been developed to emphasize that the clubfoot condition is readily treatable. So far, close to 875 children have received the treatment. A total of 299 medical students, 26 resident surgeons, 340 student orthopedic officers and 68 student technicians have been trained in detecting and managing congenital clubfoot. In-service training has also been offered to 10 orthopedic surgeons, 100 orthopedic officers and 25 orthopedic technicians.

Strengthening Child Health in Rural Uganda

Project purpose: In response to the urgent needs of children in rural Uganda, the project aims to improve health for approximately 20,000 children under five in three sub-districts in southwestern Uganda. Specifically, the community-integrated management of childhood illness will target lower rates of infant and child mortality, improved immunization and better nutrition through health education.

Key results to date: The project facilitates linkages among the department of community health of Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), rural health centres, communities and local councils involved in child health activities. To date, 18 parishes can count on 352 trained local community resource persons and 143 health workers who have conducted 115 Child Health Days with an attendance of 12,202 participants, and given 41,441 health talks and visited 66,144 homes. They have assessed 18,628 children under the age of five and supported 50 at-risk children. Faculty members from MUST, nurses, midwives, nursing assistants and students working in difficult locations with few resources have enthusiastically contributed to activities, helping to build stronger relationships between communities and local health providers. Numerous materials have been developed as teaching tools including a trainer's manual, growth monitoring charts and locally made puppets. The community volunteers carried 82 income generating projects. Funds are used to support expenses for sick children.

Health Management Training in Uganda

Project purpose: The project has been designed to improve the quality of health care delivery in Uganda through better management and orientation of health care workers toward primary health care.

Key results to date: At the end of the project, a total of 132 district and sub-district health managers from Northern Uganda have been trained through a university-level continuing education program to integrate district health responsibilities. Professors from Makerere University's Institute of Public Health and from the faculty of medicine have developed their skills in teaching, problem-based learning, research methodology and management. A health management certificate course in distance education was launched in 2007 with 30 candidates already employed in the health sector. The course is now part of the university's regular offerings and enables Ugandan district health team members to upgrade their knowledge and skills in health management. The project also contributed directly to better health care in the Kabarole district. The project team was successful in attracting $1.5 million in research grants to further strengthen HIV/AIDs related research collaborations in the communities. In total, nine peer-reviewed articles were published.