Anike Foundation Helps Partner Organization Secure $7,500 Grant To Stop COVID-19 In Rural Eastern Uganda

With help from Anike Foundation, Shine Africa Foundation-Teso (SAF-Teso) secured a $7,500 grant from Aids Healthcare Foundation (AHF Fund) to stop the rapid spread of COVID-19 in the sub-region of Teso in rural Eastern Uganda.

SAF-Teso’s COVID-19 Project

The districts of Serere, Ngora and Soroti in the sub-region of Teso in rural Eastern Uganda were battling COVID-19, in addition to experiencing devastation due to recent flooding. SAF-Teso’s project targeted these in-need areas and provided 903 beneficiaries in the three districts with personal protective equipment (including face masks and hand sanitizers), emergency food, COVID-19 public education and home-based healthcare services.

Personal Protective Equipment

SAF-Teso assessed twenty health facilities, ten schools and ten churches/places of worship, and discovered that the region lacked infection prevention and control commodities. Only five out of ten health facilities, four out of ten schools, and six out of ten churches possessed necessary hygiene supplies. 

Consequently, SAF-Teso provided face masks and sanitizers to six  schools, six churches and twelve health facilities, including the COVID-19 task forces of the Soroti and Serere districts.

Food Supplies

To determine the need for food support, SAF-Teso conducted an assessment of 791 potential beneficiaries. Six hundred and forty-seven individuals met the criteria to receive assistance, but with limited funding, only 553 (85.5%) received food support. This support was accompanied by a health education package and food security awareness messages.

COVID-19 Public Education / Awareness-Raising

Six community sensitization drives occurred through mobile clinic outreaches in Soroti, Labori, Kadungulu, Gweri and Kobwin sub-counties. The drives targeted groups of youth, adolescent girls and young women, men, pregnant mothers, persons with disabilities and persons living with HIV/AIDS and COVID-19. These targeted groups received education about mental health care services, health education regarding HIV/AIDS, COVID-19 and other related health illnesses.

COVID-19 Home-Based Health Care Services

Throughout the three districts of Soroti, Ngora and Serere, SAF-Teso conducted many one-day orientations on community management of COVID-19. The SAF-Teso project combined home-based care outreach efforts for COVID-19, in addition to the distribution of HIV/AIDS/TB-related information, psychosocial support and community-based distribution of medicines.

Sustainability Of The Project

SAF-Teso conducted a one-week post-distribution evaluation to measure the project’s impact in targeted communities. The results indicated a positive effect by reducing COVID-19 stigma and discrimination, increasing overall awareness about the disease, and debunking myths and disbeliefs about the existence of COVID-19. It also successfully demonstrated practical implementations such as face masks, hand washing and sanitizers. Further funding would continue these practices and allow more communities to benefit from the project’s efforts.

Next Steps

The $7,500 grant from Aids Healthcare Foundation helped SAF-Teso combat COVID-19 throughout the sub-region of Teso. With your support, Anike Foundation and SAF-Teso can do more. With additional funding, more people will benefit from personal protective equipment and food security. Furthermore, the potential use of radio airtime could relay valuable COVID-19 messages regarding prevention and community health resources to a larger audience. 

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