Hope Community Clinic
ORIGINAL SCHOOL SICKBAY ROOM
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PATH FROM NEW HOPE CLINIC TO WSF SCHOOL
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Friends of World Shine UK, Tonbridge Baptist Church, have been supporting World Shine Foundation Primary School in Rwentobo with annual visits since 2014. When they first visited there was a very small room (shown above) which was used as a sick bay to provide for the needs of over 600 children including 200 boarders.
The initial vision was to provide improved sick bay facilities for the children but when doing home visits we realised that there was huge unmet need generally for health care in this poor community of subsistence farmers. There are some basic poorly staffed and under supplied government facilities in the village. Due to poor staffing and limited medicines, they far from meet the needs of the community. There is also a small private clinic but most people are unable to afford the fees so many children suffer disease and malnutrition and statistics for maternal and neonatal death are some of the highest in the world.
The vision for a sick bay therefore grew to a community clinic and, thanks to funds raised in the last few years, there is now a clinic building which backs onto the school and fronts onto the main road in Rwentobo village. The sick bay is located at the school end of the clinic and there is a trained nurse in residence who is able to meet most of the health needs of the children. The clinic has plumbing and electricity and high standard solar power has recently been installed. It is decorated outside and in and we are now raising funds to finish equipping the laboratory, dispensary, acute wards and other clinical areas.
The initial vision was to provide improved sick bay facilities for the children but when doing home visits we realised that there was huge unmet need generally for health care in this poor community of subsistence farmers. There are some basic poorly staffed and under supplied government facilities in the village. Due to poor staffing and limited medicines, they far from meet the needs of the community. There is also a small private clinic but most people are unable to afford the fees so many children suffer disease and malnutrition and statistics for maternal and neonatal death are some of the highest in the world.
The vision for a sick bay therefore grew to a community clinic and, thanks to funds raised in the last few years, there is now a clinic building which backs onto the school and fronts onto the main road in Rwentobo village. The sick bay is located at the school end of the clinic and there is a trained nurse in residence who is able to meet most of the health needs of the children. The clinic has plumbing and electricity and high standard solar power has recently been installed. It is decorated outside and in and we are now raising funds to finish equipping the laboratory, dispensary, acute wards and other clinical areas.
HOPE CLINIC VILLAGE STREET ELEVATION
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CLINIC WAITING AREA AND SCHOOL SECURITY GATE
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Health Insurance Scheme Partnership
A partnership between World Shine Foundation Primary School and Kisiizi Hospital will enable the clinic to be run as a satellite of Kisiizi thus ensuring good quality health care. Kisiizi Hospital is a mission hospital in the mountains about a one hour drive from Rwentobo which has a good reputation both locally and worldwide.
The hospital is well known for the Kisiizi Health Insurance Scheme which was set up in order to allow the most vulnerable to be able access health care by paying very low premiums so that acute needs can be met at very low costs. A meeting to introduce this scheme to the community was held in the school hall during our visit in July and it was attended by over 1000 people who were very keen to be able to access health care in this way. The photo below shows some of those who attended and they were pleased to hear that membership of the scheme will give them access to services at Kisiizi Hospital as well as at the clinic. Since we left in July much work has been done to improve the exterior of the clinic including fitting safety railings, creating an outdoor waiting area and a path to link the clinic to the school as shown in the photos above.
The hospital is well known for the Kisiizi Health Insurance Scheme which was set up in order to allow the most vulnerable to be able access health care by paying very low premiums so that acute needs can be met at very low costs. A meeting to introduce this scheme to the community was held in the school hall during our visit in July and it was attended by over 1000 people who were very keen to be able to access health care in this way. The photo below shows some of those who attended and they were pleased to hear that membership of the scheme will give them access to services at Kisiizi Hospital as well as at the clinic. Since we left in July much work has been done to improve the exterior of the clinic including fitting safety railings, creating an outdoor waiting area and a path to link the clinic to the school as shown in the photos above.
INSURANCE SCHEME COMMUNITY MEETING
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RWENTOBO VILLAGE MAIN STREET
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How you can help
A funding application has been made to staff the clinic which we pray will be successful. Meanwhile, we are raising funds to equip and furnish the clinic and contributions will be very welcome. Contact us to find out more or make a donation via our Giving page.
