Programs

COMMUNITY-BASED HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT

FDNC's Community-Based Health and Development Program is designed to improve the health and living standards of rural communities in five districts in Eastern Uganda: Mbale, Bududa, Manafwa, Palisa, and Sironko. It includes several different programs which are increasingly working together in a seamless fashion:

FDNC Community Health Worker (CHW) Program

FDNC currently utilizes a network of 30 volunteer Community Health Workers (CHWs) who participate in monthly meetings at the FDNC Health and Wellness Center in Natondome Village, and bring information, resources, and services to their respective villages. In cooperation with PONT and the Mbale District Health Service, our CHWs are receiving rigorous training which certifies them as Level One or Level Two - Operational Level Health Workers (OPLs). As of May 2007, 12 of FDNC's Community Health Workers are certified as Level Two OPLs.

• HIV/AIDS Counseling, Testing and Treatment

FDNC's Community Health Workers collaborate closely with the AIDS Information Centre (AIC) and The AIDS Support Organization (TASO). High risk clients are regularly referred to AIC and TASO for counseling, testing, and treatment. As a result, dozens of HIV/AIDS infected clients are "living positively," participating in group counseling, and receiving Anti-Retroviral (ARV) medications.


• Malaria Prevention and Treatment

Malaria continues to be the greatest threat to children, and is a serious health problem for adults. CHWs focus on prevention through education, distribution of mosquito nets and eliminating standing water where mosquitoes breed, as well as early treatment by recognizing symptoms and referring patients to the FDNC Health Clinic or other local facilities for treatment.

FDNC's Community Health Workers are trained in many other areas, including nutrition, sanitation, personal hygiene, medical diagnosis and referral, and more. FDNC facilitates the critical efforts of the CHWs by providing management and coordination, transport, training, motivation, and resource materials.

FDNC Health Clinic

Located at the FDNC Health and Wellness Center in Natondome Village, the health clinic is open five days a week, and is staffed by a full-time certified nurse/midwife, as well as a part-time clinical officer. The clinic sees an average of 20 patients a day for a variety of conditions, including malaria, STDs, parasitic worm infections and minor injuries. The clinic treats students from the Vocational Skills Training Center, members of the local community, and patients referred by FDNC's network of Community Health Workers in rural villages throughout the Mbale region.

Adelaide-Mbale Children’s Health Fund

Established in April of 2007 by two volunteers from Adelaide, Australia who assisted FDNC programs, Celeste McLachan and Luke Orr, this fund is designed to help treat patients ages 16 and below from the local area who are suffering from more serious health conditions. The fund’s first patient was Geoffrey Wambi, a 14 year old boy with a chronic leg infection that had led to paralysis and deformity of the leg. The infection was treated with antibiotics and daily cleaning and redressing, and surgery was required to remove the dead femur bone so that a newly forming femur could grow and help stabilize the leg. Jeffrey will require another surgery to reset the new bone so that normal movement can eventually be restored. Initial funding starting in April 2007 will be for one year with UGX 4,000,000 (US $2353). The goal of the fund is to restore an average of one child per month to normal health.

FDNC Community-Based Sports Program

Started in April 2007 by Australian volunteer Luke Orr, this program was developed to engage youth (who have finished Universal Primary Education, but are unable to afford the fees associated with secondary schooling) in meaningful activity. It is designed to created self-sustaining football (soccer) leagues for young men ages 14-21 and netball leagues for young women of the same ages, in communities throughout the region. The program has already started in the Busiu and Musese communities with two football leagues, and has already enrolled over 300 participants. Crowds coming to watch the two leagues have exceeded 500 people in each of the days of play that have taken place so far.

Nutrition Program

The nutrition program was designed to address the needs of women and children, those most at risk of malnutrition. Services are provided at the FDNC Health and Wellness Center in Natondome Village, as well as through education and outreach by the CHWs. The program is multi-dimensional, intended to break the cycle of malnutrition by promoting nutrition education, community gardens, vitamin supplementation/distribution, growth monitoring for infants/toddlers, and income-generating activities.


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