Health Care Outreach
URF strives to improve the health conditions of children and adults in rural communities through various programs.
Children’s Medical Support
URF helps to arrange medical care for children experiencing severe medical challenges, including cancer, spina bifida, and cerebral palsy. These cases are referred to URF by members of the community, and with the help of generous donations, URF helps to connect children with the medical care they need. This includes arranging travel both within Uganda and internationally when necessary.
HIV/AIDS Outreach
URF provides free HIV testing and counseling through a partnership with Uganda Cares, a local health organization offering care to AIDS patients. We facilitate transportation for patients to get treatment, medication, and counseling from the Uganda Cares clinic in Masaka. URF also regularly holds workshops, including talks on AIDS prevention, done by health professionals and AIDS researchers.
Medical Clinic
During URF’s village profiling exercise conducted in 2011, the most recurring outcry from the people was the urgent need for clean water and affordable health care for almost all the communities we serve. These two needs are intertwined, and URF is making efforts to address them both. The Mirembe Community Health Center is a small clinic located at Hope Academy. The clinic offers basic medical treatments to our students and neighboring villages.
Patients with major illnesses are referred to large clinics and hospitals in Masaka. URF also has a medical van to assist with transportation in emergency cases. Our two nurses don’t turn away any patient; anyone who comes to the clinic is treated and can pay later Medical doctors or nurse volunteers are welcome; let us know if you can help.
Malaria Prevention
Malaria is one of the major killer diseases in Uganda and Africa in general. At URF we have set out to address this problem. This program involves distribution of mosquito nets to the most needy children and their families. Over 1,500 treated mosquito nets have been distributed to children and poor people in the villages. One mosquito net costs $7 in Uganda. Consider a gift of a net to a child or pregnant mother.
Medical Camps
With the goal of preventative care, URF organizes medical camps where we provide basic treatment and general check-ups. URF organizes a team of doctors, nurses, and a lab technician who work tirelessly to see that every patient is attended to.
Referrals are made to the hospital in Masaka, and the patients are transported by URF’s medical van. The biggest percentage of cases seen involve malaria and a few other illnesses such as flu, diarrhea, syphilis, back pains, etc. The big turnout is always a clear indication of the urgent need for medical care in the community.
Village Health Workers
We partnered with University of Minnesota medical students and a UK nurse to train Village Health Workers for each village to provide health education and follow-ups with the sick in their homes.
The VHWs assisted a URF nurse and visiting medical students in facilitating health talks and medical camps in villages that URF serves. Basic screenings were done such as taking weights and blood pressures for kids and adults.
Women’s Health Van
Women in rural villages suffer complications during childbirth because they don’t have transportation to access medical care at distant clinics and hospitals. URF’s van is a partial solution to this danger that threatens the lives of hundreds of women and their children. It is used to transport women and children who need critical medical care to hospitals and clinics.