Center for Health Market Innovations (CHMI)

Programs

Hands of Help Community Health Project

last updated Nov 29, 2011

Overview

Implementing organization: 
Hands of Help volunteers
Implementation Partner(s): 
International Medical Foundation
Legal Status: 
Private (not-for-profit)
Year Launched: 
2006
Income Level of Target Population: 
All income levels

Funding

Primary Source of Funding: 
Donor

Scale

Number of Clients Served: 
In 2006, the project trained over 150 community health workers in the five-month health education program in Jinja District,
Other Measures of Scale: 
Over 1,000 heavily subsidized insecticide-treated mosquito nets were distributed mainly targeting pregnant women, young children and vulnerable families. To date over 500 HIV tests have been conducted with locally-trained counselors and HIV-positive individuals referred to the AIDS Support Organization for follow-up.
Summary: 

The project undertakes the training of health workers to equip them with the relevant information and skills to address given health issues such as malaria, HIV/AIDS among others.

Program goals/rationale: 

The Community Health Project aims to educate and build capacity of Ugandans so that they can take charge of their own health care. This is achieved through the employment of local clinical officers who oversee the training of Community Health Workers, that have been selected by the community.

Key program components: 

Health workers undergo a five-month training program, and there after are charged with educating and informing their communities in topics including malaria, HIV/AIDS, respiratory illnesses, malnutrition, family planning and water sanitation. They are not paid any salary but rather rewarded under an incentive program and treat their knowledge as a gift they are excited and willing to spread out to others.

The education sessions are complemented by access to interventions such as insecticide treated nets to combat malaria, HIV testing with the AIDS Support Organization and water sanitation sachets to purify drinking water.

Program history: 

In Uganda access to basic health care is lacking with half the nation's children being stunted due to long-standing malnutrition thus having nearly 14 of every 100 children born failing to live to see their 5th birthday, yet HIV/AIDS continues to kill over 100,000 people per year and over 1 million people are infected. The greatest cause of morbidity and mortality remains malaria, infecting 12 million Ugandans and killing 8,500 young children, immuno suppressed people and pregnant women each year.

The Community Health Project was initiated as a result of the survey conducted by Hands of Help volunteers in Bufuula to understand the main health issues that impacted people's day-to-day life. The project aimed at providing education and intervention to empower Ugandans to take charge of the basic health care issues in their own communities. The Community Health Project is therefore run by Ugandans and for Ugandans.

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