Improving reproductive health rights in Uganda

The project aims to enhance awareness of reproductive health rights, services to adolescent girls & young women to undertake intensive educational activities on the use of modern contraceptives to protect against STIs, unwanted pregnancies among 600 women 2600 in-out of school girls in Arapai sub-county Soroti district  using youth friendly services, Rights Based approach, focus groups, Adult-centered learning, Peer-to-Peer, Outreaches, table talks, Film & Health Education Talks.

Increased access, use of antenatal and postnatal services by 20% & the number of youths receiving SRH services increase by 15% by Dec 2021. Created and strengthened a multi-stakeholder local platform, referral network to advance dissemination of information & access to SRH services by the end of the project. The sustainability is guaranteed as the project will use already existing structures in the communities, build the capacity of the community to sustain the services provided by this project.

According to the latest projections, some 47 million women may be unable to use modern contraceptives if the lockdown carries on for six months. This means up to 7 million unintended pregnancies, with thousands of young lives at risk. Also predicted is an increase in female genital mutilation cases by 2 million.

First, we are seeing resources redirected away from vital sexual and reproductive health and rights services in favour of other COVID-related responses. We know from past epidemics that a lack of access to essential health services due to a shutdown of services can ultimately cause more deaths than the epidemic itself. Difficulty accessing contraceptives and other essential services such as safe abortion denies millions of girls and women the right to control their bodies and lives.

Compassion hearts is a call for community to step up, find little ways to help Sicklecell anaemia children during COVID-19. The rapid spread of COVID-19 has meant theSickle cell anaemia children we support have been disconnected from us for over 32days. These families are not equipped to deal with the pandemic. With all diseases,the Sickle cell anaemia child is always most at risk. We need to provide information,essential items and support to ensure these families we support are safe.

The project works to will help us provide information, care kits-emergency supplieslike; sickle cell treatment - HYDROXYUREA TREATMENT recommended, food, soap &sanitary products for Sickle cell anaemia children and their loved one. Also withcontinue our essential counselling programme to these families on phone to ensurethey are alone.

What we have accomplished

Compassion hearts: Serving COVID19 in sickle-child has reached 20 sickle cellanemic children with 10Kgs of Maize Flour - Posho, with 5Kgs of rice, 5Kgs of bean, 2Bars of soap and liquid soap. The project has also engaged the caretakers of thechildren during the home visit and the delivery of the food items on the challengesthey go through, what and how they think should be done to minimise the crisis –painful attack on the children. The food items were delivered door to door to avoidattracting the gathering of people so as to combat the spread of COVID-19.

We have also conducted COVID-19 Cell Disease: Frequently Asked Questions sessionthat surely helped the caretakers and Sickle Advice for family members andcaregivers - Family members and caregivers of people with sickle cell disease

Challenges

There were few challenges and we were able to overcome, this included floods in one sub county of Kolir, that made out door to door delivery difficult it increased the cost of travel/delivery, the beans were very scarce and expensive.

Difference that your donation made

The grant has enabled us to provide at least 25 meals for the sickle cell anaemicchild which was challenging many of the caregivers could not access markets oreven sell their own produce to feed their children with total lockdown that wasimplemented.

stigma and myths about sickle cell disease are widespread in these communities.Stigmatisation isolates sickle-cell patients and their families from society. In manycases, women with sick children are abandoned by their husbands, whichcomplicates their financial situation and, by extension, access to treatment. Withthis project we able to unite one family (the husband, wife and children) thehusband had abandoned his family. The family has 5 sickle cell children out of 6, thisso breaking.

This messaged has made rounds in the community and we are proud of the your generosity that has given us the greenlight to change our communities, information is power and a step to change!