Healthy Child UgandaThe Organization
Healthy Child Uganda (HCU) is a partnership between Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), University of Calgary, local health districts, and both Ugandan and international organizations. HCU both develops and evaluates programs and also provides training to volunteer community health workers (who are referred to as Village Health Teams or VHTs) and local health care staff. With an emphasis on active community participation, the organization's overall objective is to improve maternal, newborn and child health in rural communities in southwestern Uganda. HCU is committed to addressing UN Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5, which are that of reducing child mortality and improving maternal health. Location While the main project office is in Mbarara, southwestern Uganda, I am located in the small rural town of Bushenyi in the neighbouring district. My office is a refurbished shipping container located at the District Health Centre and serves as the HCU Muskoka Project headquarters. HCU in Bushenyi is a part of Canada's Muskoka Initiative. While most of my time is spent in the office, I also go out into the field into the rural communities in Mbarara and Bushenyi districts. Context Most of the families and communities in rural southwestern Uganda rely on subsistence framing and live in poverty with villages being usually only accessibly by very poor dirt roads. Homes are generally made out of local materials such as mud bricks and thatched roofs, toilets are basic pit latrines, and the vast majority do not have electricity or running water. Access to health care can be incredibly difficult as health centres may be very far distances away from the communities. High rates of child deaths occur and many of these deaths are preventable. Why HCU While I entered the MSW program eager to pursue a practicum further working with refugees, during the program I decided that I wanted to take the opportunity to open up and instead explore other areas as to diversify my experiences and skill set. Since working with a number of Ugandan families at MJMC, I felt compelled to look into practicum opportunities in Uganda and was very excited when the prospect with HCU arose. I was initially hesitant because I knew that the role would involve quite a bit of research, which is an area that I was not at all experienced in. But then I realized that this would be a prime occasion to apply new skills and knowledge acquired through the MSW program as well as explore a different area of social work. And as the Community Development Field Assistant Intern, I would have the chance to engage in work that would be specifically focused on community development in an international context. |