FIMRC

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Following the success of its projects in India and Costa Rica, FIMRC has partnered with the Arlington Academy of Hope to establish a health clinic serving the community of Bumwalukani, Uganda. The Arlington Academy of Hope (AAH) is a nonprofit organization aimed at enriching the lives of children in rural Uganda by providing access to high quality, well-rounded education within their village communities. Such education is dependent upon the health of its students and teachers, and this partnership will allow FIMRC to administer basic healthcare to the 300 hundred students and teachers that attend the school, as well as serve the needs of the surrounding region.

Although the clinic was constructed in an effort to meet the health and nutritional needs of the school, the severe lack of medical care in the surrounding region makes the clinic an essential resource for the community at large. Standing at the foot of Mount Elgon, 150 miles east of the bustling capital city of Kampala, which, according to the Ministry of Health, has the highest prevalence of HIV infection in Uganda, the dispersed rural community around the clinic is comprised of approximately 10,000 to 15,000 inhabitants with an average annual income of 200 dollars.

The most rampant medical issues plaguing this population are readily treatable with preventative measures, education initiatives and continuous healthcare monitoring. FIMRC’s goals for this project are simple: staff the clinic on AAH’s grounds with medical professionals, as well as endow it with supplies in order to operate as a complete medical facility. Through the joint efforts of AAH and FIMRC, the clinic will play a central role in providing long term primary medical care to the entire community of Bumwalukani.

The principal goals of our work in Bumwalukani include the following:

1. most crucially, to establish an effective system for the delivery of acute and preventative healthcare to members of this underserved Ugandan community;
2. transition from a system of triage healthcare to one of continuous care by implementing biannual well-child visits for the entire community, all the while monitoring key indicators of overall health;
3. achieve a marked decrease in pediatric malnutrition and in the number of underweight children in the community;
4. curb the devastating spread of common endemic disease caused by preventable microbial infections; and promote and sustain programs in health education, with particular focus on pediatric and maternal health initiatives.

Project Bumwalukani currently welcomes volunteers traveling individually or in groups of up to 10. Our volunteer program operates year-round, so please contact us with the dates you would like to travel and we will do our best to accommodate you!

Clinic Opportunities

1. Shadowing FIMRC medical staff to witness illnesses typical to the community. Depending on medical experience, a volunteer may choose to collaborate with Ugandan medical staff to treat patients with a variety of illnesses.
2. Assisting with taking patient histories and clinic organization
3. Data collection—compile statistics of the most common illnesses/symptoms seen at clinic and in community, so as to better serve the needs of the people
4. Assist with taking inventory of clinic supplies

Health Education

FIMRC’s medical clinic at Arlington Academy of Hope in Bumwalukani, Uganda is the only health care facility in the immediate area. Health education is therefore needed in this community on essentially every health topic, including: basic hygiene, water sanitation, HIV/AIDS, when to bring a child/loved one to the clinic/hospital, women’s health issues including breastfeeding, handling menstruation pain and how to know if something may be wrong with menstruation cycle, and identifying and treating malaria.

FIMRC volunteers will first help to create health education lessons. They will collaborate with education volunteers from AAH, health education books FIMRC has on-site, and creative ideas from health volunteers to create lesson plans. We will then present health education lessons at the following:

1. Arlington Academy of Hope—Volunteers will help give weekly health lessons in the classrooms, and may also present health education at the weekly assembly in front of the entire school.
2. Other Primary Schools in the area—FIMRC has been asked to provide health education lessons to over 5 Primary Schools in the surrounding area.
3. Community groups—FIMRC has established a mother’s group for women’s health education. Other groups include an HIV/AIDS awareness group, school-drop out group, life-skills group, traditional birthing attendants group, etc. If a volunteer comes with an interest or background in a particular topic, we can set up a group that will benefit from the volunteer’s knowledge to meet for one lesson or a series of lessons, if necessary.

Mobile Outreach Clinics/Community Health Outreach

1. Qualified MDs may take medications and supplies to conduct house visits. This will be particularly helpful, as there are members of the community who are too ill to walk to the clinic. There are homes scattered throughout the hills surrounding the clinic and hiking around the community to meet people and try to understand their ailments can be a moving experience.
2. Qualified medical volunteers may take medication and assessment tools to orphanages, where medical care is rarely sought. Volunteers without medical training will work in orphanages where help is desperately needed with basic everyday activities. Most children in the orphanage have had parents die from HIV/AIDS.
3. Volunteers can help our clinic staff by visiting households in village and conduct health surveys. There are no statistics for this area that accurately covers the percentage of illnesses or major health needs. Conducting surveys will enable FIMRC’s clinic to better serve the needs of this community, as well as give the volunteer a cultural experience of understanding a the typical medical issues faced in this area.

Visiting/Working in area medical facilities (depending on medical experience of volunteer)

Bududa Hospital

1. Women’s Ward—work with women who are hospitalized with a variety of diseases, including obstetrical complications, malaria (both pregnancy-related malaria and non-pregnancy-related), post-operative recovery, etc.
2. Outpatient Immunization Clinic—work with nurses to immunize children
3. Pediatric Ward—Work with children who are hospitalized with fever, respiratory illnesses, orthopedic complications, etc.

Magale Health Center — This is a hospital in a small town a few hours from Bumwalukani. The Matron of the hospital is a Catholic Nun named Sister Emily, who is eager to collaborate with medical volunteers from America. Volunteer physicians and nurses can conduct rounds with Ugandan medical personnel and assist with care on any inpatient ward of interest. Non-medical volunteers can work in the laboratory with the lab technician. The Ugandan government has also set up a TASOCenter at MagaleHospital. (TASO=The Aids Support Organisation). This is a center where volunteers can observe counseling and support for people living with AIDS.

Bukigai Health Center — This health center is 30 minutes from Bumwalukani, and benefits from volunteer assistance. Bunamutoro Children’s DayCareCenter—This is a nursery school and lower primary school that is interested in receiving help from our volunteers with health education. This center is run by a man named Michael Wanitta, who is very enthusiastic about working with health volunteers. Bunamutoro village is approximately 30 minutes away from Bumwalukani and provides lots of local sightseeing, including a weekly market.

The U.S. Department of State urges American citizens to take responsibility for their personal security while traveling overseas. For general information about appropriate measures travelers can take to protect themselves in an overseas environment, see the Department of State’s pamphlet A Safe Trip Abroad at http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/safety/safety_1747.html.

We require all participants in the Global Health Volunteer Program to possess health insurance either from your current provider or from a third-party travel insurance company; for your protection, your insurance policy must include medical evacuation coverage.

Availability of health care in Uganda is restricted to major cities, but demand is high and it can be expensive. While doctors and dentists are available throughout many areas of the country, the major hospitals are located in the main cities. FIMRC’s Clinic is a primary care facility and able to treat volunteers up to a certain degree.

Approximately one-third of travelers to less developed countries become ill as a reaction to contaminated food or water. While volunteering, you should monitor your own health so that you can see the doctor right away if you show signs of illness. In the case of malaria, it is much easier to treat when you detect it early. There are several health websites for travelers such as the ones established by the CDC, WHO and popular health journals. Most of the time through, if you get sick, it will be because of something simple like not washing your hands or drinking local, untreated water. Should you feel ill, please inform the clinic staff as soon as possible.

Many people can be unaccustomed to the heat in Uganda and suffer from heat exhaustion. We urge you to stay hydrated with bottled water (supplied for you as part of your lodging/boarding).

Volunteers in Bumwalukani will be staying in a guest house, as determined by FIMRC’s Field Operations Manager and AAH’s ground staff. There are two guest houses and placement will depend on the number of volunteers on site at any given time. The AAH guest house shares the same compound as the school teachers’ quarters, is able to accommodate up to 10 volunteers, and is a twenty minute walk down the hill from the AAH school and FIMRC clinic. The FIMRC guest house is about a 15 minute walk from the clinic and houses all FIMRC staff including the Peace Corps volunteer and affords volunteers the opportunity to reflect on the day’s experience with FIMRC team members each night.

Light breakfast and dinner are provided at both guest houses, along with weekly laundry services. Beds and mosquito nets are also provided. Please remember this is a remote, rural village, and plumbing is not readily accessible. Outhouses are located on both grounds, and you will be provided water in which to take “bucket” baths. Should you wish to have an actual shower, you could bring a camping Sun Shower, which is filled and heated by the sun, hung and used like a regular shower. These can be purchased at most camping stores.

The vaccination requirements change from year to year, based on the health situation of the country.

A certificate of yellow fever vaccination is required. All visitors should take malaria prophylactic drugs. The recommended top three are Doxycycline, Malarone, and Lariam. It is also advised that all travelers be vaccinated against meningitis, Typhoid and Hepatitis A & B.

Please remember to bring sufficient personal medications, if needed, for the entirety of your time away from home.

Avoid bites by using mosquito repellent and a mosquito net. Bilharzias is present in some lakes and still-water ponds so swimming is not recommended except in designated areas.

For further information, please contact your physician, local or state health department, or U.S. Department of Health Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) International Traveler’s Hotline at (404) 332-4559 or the CDC Fax Information Service at (888) 232-3299. Please refer to the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for updates on outbreaks and vaccination suggestions via www.cdc.gov.

For international travel, a U.S. passport, valid for at least six months from the date of departure, containing at least two blank pages, is necessary. Please note: pages reserved for amendments and endorsements cannot be used for visas.

Visas can be obtained in advance from the Embassy of the Republic of Uganda. Travelers should obtain the latest information and details from the Embassy of the Republic of Uganda or the Ugandan Permanent Mission to the United Nations, telephone (212) 949-0110. Also, see the US State Dept’s Foreign Entry Requirements brochure for more information on Uganda and other countries.

The Embassy of the Republic of Uganda
5911 16th Street, N.W.
Washington D.C., 20011
Tel. 202 726 7100
http://www.ugandaembassy.com
ugembassy@aol.com

Approximate Visa Fees:
Single entry visa for Uganda is $50, lasting 3 months
Multiple entry for Uganda is $90, lasting 6 months

Please use the following information on your visa application form:

Arlington Academy of Hope
Field Operations Manager
Bumwalukani Village

Mr. Michael Mangano
011-256-774-386-417
Bududa District

Important Notes:
Tourist cards will be provided on board the aircraft prior to landing. Be sure to keep the yellow copy, as it will be requested upon departure. Visitors from any country must hold tickets and other documents for onward or return journeys. Immigration officers are very strict on this regulation. If passengers arrive without meeting this requirement, they must buy a ticket or they will be deported, at their own expense, on the first available flight.

The following are costs payable to FIMRC for a volunteer mission with Project Bumwalukani:

• Program donation: $649 for a two-week stay, $275 for each additional week
• Housing/Food/Transport: $350 per week (in-country transportation covers round-trip transport from Entebbe airport to clinic site, approximately 6-8 hours each way by car)

The following are additional estimated costs:

• Airfare: $1200 to $1800, depending on travel dates & season
• Spending money: $150 (minimum recommended amount for in country for miscellaneous daily expenses during your trip)