Equal rights for women in Uganda – there is still a great deal to be done!
Although women make up 84% of agrarian workers, they own only 30% of the land and often have no official documents proving this. Widows often have no legal claim to common property, and the entire ownership is awarded the husband’s family. Widows don’t know, where they can stay and how they can feed their children. Domestic violence against women and children is widespread. Many teenagers become pregnant, and many of these girls then terminate their schooling or professional training. Women in Uganda bear an average of five children during their lives.
Ensure lifesaving medical care
The Salem-Kolonyi Hospital (SKH) in the rural Mbale district intensively supports healthcare for women and children. The clinic is an important, often lifesaving place for around 30,000 people in the region. Many women, especially those with risky pregnancies and threatening complications during delivery, are referred to the Kolonyi Hospital from the surrounding smaller health centers. There they can be treated and cared for by specialists. The hospital has a delivery room, an operating unit, a laboratory, and 62 beds on the wards for men, women, and children. 1,500 children were admitted to Kolonyi Hospital in 2021, with the number increasing annually. The hospital is a blessing for poor families, as they can be treated for free when necessary.
State financing is not sufficient to meet the growing demands. Damp and mold are present in the operating room, and there is a lack of modern instruments. We decided to help and financially support the urgently needed reconstruction and renovations, especially in the operating and the delivery rooms and newborn wards. Together we want to contribute to an even more comprehensive care for women and children in the future.
The reconstruction and renovations were successfully completed in May, 2024.
Combatting undernourishment among children under five
Another of our goals is to protect children better from undernourishment. The rate of mother-and- newborn mortality in Uganda is high compared to world statistics. On of the main reasons for this is undernourishment of under five-year-olds. The corona pandemic and the rise in food prices made life difficult for everyone, especially small children, whose healthy development is endangered. There is a special unit on the children’s ward in Kolonyi Hospital that cares for severely undernourished children. Children are admitted there and fed a special diet. Trained caretakers also teach the parents how to prepare nourishing food with locally available ingredients.
Schooling with model gardens
Together with our local partner we also developed a comprehensive program for education about nourishment. Women from the community are trained to become peer mothers who can take care of vulnerable young mothers and support them in feeding their young children. Health workers receive training in screening and nourishment deficiencies and how to create consciousness for this in villages. The surrounding healthcare facilities receive Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC)ribbons and special scales to weigh all children for undernourishment upon admittance to the program. Model gardens are also planted in the villages so that families can learn appropriate agricultural techniques and thereby improve their food security. In this way we can sustainably reduce undernourishment.
Overview of our help
- Support for urgent renovations and subsequent provision of medical equipment of the Salem-Kolonyi Hospital
- Education in the communities, especially about nourishment
- Planting of model gardens to improve the nourishment situation among poor families
Partner
Our project partner, the Salem-Kolonyi Hospital, is run by the Salem Brotherhood Uganda Ltd.. The The Salem Brotherhood was founded in 1981 and has been registered as a Ugandan NGO since 1991. Their work focusses on communal healthcare provision and training of the nursing staff in the Salem School of Nursing, which was founded in 2010.