Health, Nutrition and Social Care
We provide support and advice on health, nutrition and social care to children, their families, pregnant teenagers, and the wider community, equipping them with the knowledge and means to lead a healthy life.
Namuwongo has very limited access to clean and safe drinking water. Between houses are open muddy channels where wastewater is flowing, rubbish is often discarded, and mosquitoes and rats live and breed. Poor sanitation, drainage systems and management of rubbish leads to frequent outbreaks of typhoid and cholera, adding to the already high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, other STDs, malaria, malnutrition and tuberculosis.
Families rely on cheap foodstuffs (such as matooke, cassava, beans and maize) with meat, fish, eggs and fruit being too expensive. Often families only have 1 meal a day and skip others to be able to pay their rent or buy other essential items.
Improved health and nutrition and access to social care plays an integral part in reducing poverty. Our support in these areas is designed to improve the lives of the children, families and community we support.
What we do
Support
We offer social work support to the children on our programmes and their families when they face issues or challenges. Our Outreach Centre in the heart of the community provides a safe haven for children who are not in schools every weekday morning. They receive a nutritious cup of hot porridge – for some, the only meal of the day.
Educate
We provide vital health lessons and training to our children, their families, and the wider community, including a specific programme for teenage mothers.
Water
All children and staff at our schools receive 2 nutritious meals a day, and we provide access to clean and safe drinking water.
Social Work Support
Often the children we support face difficulties or challenges, either individually or with their families.
Our team of social workers will follow up and offer support and advice to try and resolve any issues being faced.
This includes issues such as not attending school, personal issues, family problems and mistreatment.
Our Outreach Centre, in the heart of the Namuwongo community, offers a safe haven every weekday morning for those children who are not able to attend any schooling. Here they sing, draw, play games. They are offered a cup of nutritious porridge which may be the only food they get some days. Our social workers use this as another opportunity to closely monitor children and families.
Nutrition
If children are to learn and perform well at school, they need to be properly nourished. Therefore, all children supported through education by UHfH receive 2 nutritious meals a day.
For some, these are the only meals in the day that they will receive.
We also maintain a water tank which provides access to clean and safe drinking water for all students and staff at UHfH school.
Health and Medical Care
We help provide access to basic medical care for children supported by UHfH.
This includes consultation and medicines for basic illnesses such as malaria, typhoid and bacterial infections.
Children who have good health have higher attendance at school and usually perform better.
Health Education and Training
All children at UHfH school receive lessons in general health, hygiene and sexual/reproductive health, amongst others.
We also run Namuwongo community health club which was initiated by the community itself. The club receives training on topics such as sanitation, malaria, family planning and sexual health which are then shared with others in the community.
Teenage Mothers’ Programme
In Uganda, 1 in 4 girls becomes pregnant as a teenager — one of the highest rates in Africa. In our Numuwongo community, the figure is estimated to be even higher.
The consequences are severe. Many girls leave school and lose their jobs. Illegal abortions are common. Of the majority who go on to give birth, many are rejected by family and community. With little support, they struggle to provide for themselves and their babies — and the cycle of poverty continues. Our goal is to break this cycle, one young mother at a time.
Our social workers help to identify these girls in the community, encourage their involvement in antenatal classes and support the vulnerable teens through their pregnancy. Life skills, vocational skills and back to school pathways are supported by our team.
