Soft Power Health is our sister charity. We share the same name as we share the same hopes and aspirations. They run a very successful Malaria Nets Programme and have a small health clinic in Kyabirwa village.
History
Soft Power Health is a US-based non-profit organization founded in 2004 by Dr Jessie Stone. She is the overseeing director and fundraiser (as well as mad kayaker!) of the medical clinic that has been built in the heart of Kyabirwa village, Jinja. It provides much needed medical services in the Budondo sub county but also provides education, prevention and treatment of malaria in rural Uganda.
Malaria in Uganda:
According to the Ugandan Ministry of Health, Malaria is a leading cause not only of ill health and death in Uganda but also of poverty in the country. A poor malaria stricken family may spend up to 25% of its income on malaria prevention and treatment. Also, by affecting families mostly during the rainy season, when families can least afford to be sick, malaria interferes with their farm activities thus causing poverty in families. Controlling malaria is therefore one way of improving human development and fighting poverty in Uganda.
Mission Statement
By building a clinic specifically created to successfully bring preventative health care to a rural community, we hope to become a model for community-based public health in Uganda and improve the quality of life for the Ugandan people.
What we do
A survey of fifty households in Kyabirwa Village revealed that noone owned a mosquito net or understood how they got malaria. We began a malaria education and prevention program selling subsidized mosquito nets at 3000 UgSh and following up on every person who bought a net.
Achievements so far
- Health clinic built in Kyabirwa village (includes laboratory, dispensary and two consultation rooms). Opened January 2006.
- Weekly family planning workshops held at the clinic.
- 322 Ugandans in Kyabirwa and Namizi Central villages educated about Malaria.
- 15,000 Mosquito nets sold to Ugandans in Jinja, Kamuli and Kaynuga districts at a reduced cost of 3000 UgSh.
- Follow-up data available on over 5,000 nets purchased by over 3,000 households revealing a great reduction in incidences of malaria
- Employment for over 16 Ugandans
Our Future Plans
We plan on measuring malaria incidence in the year to come to see if incidence of the disease reduces. The clinic is now operating, we are able to do malaria tests and offer consultations. We hope to expand our health education into other areas including: Reproductive Health, Personal Hygiene, Environmental Hygiene, Nutrition, Life-Skills Training for Adolescents, First Aid.
What you can do as possible projects
- Conduct interviews with local community members to provide the clinic with medical data.
- Assist with the mosquito net follow-up program.
- Talk to Jessie about possible projects that are related to your area of expertise
- And of course donate money!
For more information, please visit the Soft Power Health website or email Annie Chester.
Soft Power Education and Soft Power Health will be working together closely within the Community Development Plans via the Amagezi Education Centre.