Joint efforts by the Ministry of Health and AMREF have in recent years improved overall access to better health for its people. Today, 72% of the population lives within 5km of a health facility – up from 49% several years ago.
Working with district health councils and health care institutions, AMREF is improving the knowledge and skills of local communities and health professionals through training and partnering – targeting community health workers, water committees and technicians, women’s groups and community leaders.
Click here to view a video of AMREF's Village Health Workers in Uganda
Major health challenges
- Communicable diseases such as malaria are the leading cause of death and illness in Uganda, and women and children are worst affected.
- Today, an estimated 1 million adults (57% of them women) and 187,000 children are HIV positive. HIV also fuels the TB epidemic – 50% of HIV-positive people have TB, and 30% of them will eventually die as a result.
- Rural areas have least access to basic health care, safe water and sanitation. This, alongside poor hygiene, creates high rates of diarrhoeal disease and death in children.
AMREF is:
- Promoting community-based care for orphans affected by HIV/AIDS in Luwero district.
- Vaccinating children and providing clean water and sanitation in IDP camps in northern Uganda.
- Integrating HIV, TB and malaria services in Luwero and Kiboga districts.
- Empowering young people in Kabale to demand their right to access health services.
- Reducing HIV among sex workers in Kawempe slum
- Partnering with the Guardian newspaper and Barclays to transform people's lives in Katine in one of the poorest districts in Uganda