Kasawo Health Centre III

6/18/13

            This morning, we deviated from our original plan to attend a day for newborn immunizations at the local Kasawo Health Center III. Our host mother was planning on taking her 4-month-old daughter there, so we decided to tag along.

            What was interesting about the health center was one of the services that were offered. Like other level III health centers in Uganda, it offers antenatal care, delivery services, HIV care, vaccinations, and lab services. However, it also offers programming that is extremely unique to the area.  It employs multiple full time employees to provide educational programming to the youth. This takes place in both its facility and out in the community.

            Because they target the youth, they have an approach that is conducive to their efforts. They emphasize the importance of connecting with the youth while in school, especially to help maximize their reach and efficiency. While at the schools, they put on educational shows, distribute pads and condoms, and host games and sporting events to increase awareness for their services. They partner with the Naguru Teenage Health Centre, a Ugandan organization for youth education, to provide various teaching aids and teaching guides to their staff. Their programming has been so successful in the community that the nearby schools even send students there when they are sick in order to both treat and educate them. Some of the emphasized topics are listed below:

•          Life skills

•          Abortion

•          Behavior change

•          Abstinence

•          HIV and STIs

•          Hygiene

•          Pregnancy

•          Stigma/discrimination

•          Relationships

            While these programs seemed extremely promising, their educational services to the community did not. They currently have a Village Health Team to inform the patients about the illness they have come in with. However, the challenge with these teams lies in their lack of pay. Because they do not receive compensation for their work, it is difficult for them to find the funds necessary to travel throughout the community, let alone make it to the health center and back everyday. The VHT has not worked in the community (the original purpose of their duty) since a year after the center opened.

            We saw a group of students walking in for the educational services. We took the time to ask them a few questions in hopes of finding more out about the program’s effectiveness. Here’s what we found:

Youth Q&A

How often do you visit here?

We visit the health center only when we are sick. The headmaster sends us with the other sick students.

Do you ever come here to learn on your own, or only when you are sick?

Sometimes other students come alone but only because they are worried that they might be sick [with STIs], but most are only sent here when they are sick.

What are the common problems you face with your health?

Malaria, cough, tetanus, measles, headache, and sometimes diarrhea.

Where do you go to in order to get health education?

Sometimes we learn about it in science at school. It is mostly about hygiene, sanitation, and keeping a balanced diet. We also learn a little about water sources.

*Unfortunately for this last question, multiple students stated that they get water from an unprotected well (essentially a ditch that water has accumulated in).