Healthy Child Uganda:

A Community-Based Model
for Child Survival

Mbarara University of Science and Technology

Healthy Child Uganda
April 18, 2008
Improving Child Health Through
Community Education
Partners

Improving Child Health Through

Community Education
 Objectives
• MUST staff gain improved knowledge, project management and
field experience in child health programming

• Enhanced capacity of sub-counties, health workers, CORPS and

their
Communities to implement local child health education and initiatives

• Mothers/families promote good health for their children and

provide safe care when ill

• Model network of child health education delivery extends from

health centers to villages and impacts policy

Improving Child Health Through

Community Education
Healthy Child Uganda Baseline Survey of
Rural South western Ugandan
Communities, April 2006
Mbarara and Bushenyi Districts

•Child health indicators & knowledge, practices,

resources & attitudes related to child health.

•Inform HCU planners & stakeholders of current child

health status, needs, perceptions & priorities to aid in
program planning & measure impact

•To engage local communities in dialogue about child

health issues to stimulate involvement in initiatives
Improving Child Health Through
Community Education
 Methods
•Health Centre audit: 14- level II-8, III-3 &
Ivs-3
•Qualitative Study: Men’s/Women’s Focus
Group Discussions, Key Informants( local
leader and health centre staffs)
•Quantitative Questionnaire: 1123 Homes,
Mothers with Children Under 5

Improving Child Health Through

Community Education
 Key Findings
HCU identified 6 major challenges to
focus on for future programming and
interventions:
malaria, water scarcity/diarrhoea,
malnutrition/food security, newborn
health, poverty, & health system access.

Improving Child Health Through

Community Education
 Child Morbidity and Mortality

• Child < 2 sick in last 2 weeks: 80%

• At least one child < 5 death: 36%
• Two or more U5 death: 22.7%
• Main Cause of Death: Malaria – 36%,
Neonatal complications – 25%
• U5 died in first week of life: 19%
• Where died: Home 62%

Improving Child Health Through

Community Education
Malaria, HIV/AIDS, Pneumonia (Acute Respiratory Illness)

• Malaria in past 2 weeks: 32%

• Convulsions in past 2 weeks: 10%
• Children sleeping under bed net: 1%
• Mother knows mosquitoes cause Malaria: 86%
• ARI in past 2 weeks: 15%
• Mothers knew of AIDS: 99%
• Aware can be tested for HIV at HCs: 80%

Improving Child Health Through

Community Education
HCU Malaria Interventions
• Bed nets for U5s & Pregnant mothers – 7,143 HH
received a bednet since Dec. 07
• Encourage Net purchase as a priority. CORPS in
14/18 parishes in Rugazi, Bwezibwera, Kinoni
formed bednet groups
• Model home competitions emphasize reducing
bushy areas & stagnant water
• Malaria focused education using puppets, health
talks, school talks - Importance of child/pregnant
mother sleeping under net.

Improving Child Health Through

Community Education
 Malaria conti.
• CORPS teach parents about danger signs, not
delaying care and importance of seeking medical
(versus traditional) treatment
• Research carried out by Dr. Edgar Head DoCH in
2006 in Kinoni and Bwizibwera identified;
• CORPs referral abilities
• 49% of the children referred had fever
• CORPs were able to identify danger signs and then
refer the patients.

Improving Child Health Through

Community Education
 Field experiences
• Community excited about receiving bed nets (parents
outsource neighbour’s children if there do not have
under fives)
• In-coming reports show a very positive trend on bed
net usage
• Communities are able to contribute sh.10,000 per
net but retail net price locally is about sh.15,000. Yet
wholesale nets from suppliers cost < sh.10,000

Improving Child Health Through

Community Education
 THANKS
SERVE TO LIVE

www.healthychilduganda.org
Improving Child Health Through
Community Education