Our initiatives
When beginning in 2016, Mother's Heart Uganda held community meetings to discuss the findings of the research. The community specifically emphasized the need for access to a health facility and school which were not currently available in this remote area. Our initiatives are a result of the conclusions the community made, which are as follows:
Primary School - Golden Hill Academy
In 2016 Mother's Heart Uganda set out to develop Golden Hill Nursery and Primary School to serve the children and families of Mutoto.
Currently 302 children are enrolled to attend from ages 3 - 14 which is approximately 20% of the total number of children in the community.
Running the school has become the main focus for the Mother's Heart Uganda team as we take the education of our children seriously.
You can read more about the school on our Golden Hill Academy page here.
Health HIV/AIDS epidemic
The HIV/AIDS epidemic is one of the major factors affecting women's health, with 20 million women living with HIV and more than two million pregnancies in HIV-positive women each year. Most HIV infections in women are in resource-constrained settings where the risk of maternal morbidity and mortality is also unacceptably high, and where most of the 529,000 deaths from complications of pregnancy, childbirth and abortion occur annually.
There is increasing evidence that HIV/AIDS-related maternal deaths are escalating considerably, and AIDS has overtaken direct obstetric causes as the leading cause of maternal mortality in some areas of high HIV prevalence.
At Mothers Heart Uganda the focus on preventing new infections in children must be broadened to include appropriate care for pregnant women and the prevention of new infections in women and men.
Our communities still need a lot of sensitizations and awareness about the epidemic to mitigate new infections and death relate to HIV/AIDS.
Health Meetings
At least once a month, we move throughout the village holding community meetings about certain health topics. Past topics have included the importance of regular antenatal care visits, giving birth from the hospital, safe sex in regards to HIV/AIDS prevention and the use of family planning for spacing pregnancies. We teach women to identify the danger signs during pregnancy so that they are able to make a quick decision to go to the hospital for emergency.
Community Ambulance
With support from our visiting volunteers we got financial support to buy a community ambulance.
It's an emergency tricycle motorcycle and we are using the ambulance to take our children and mothers to health facilities to access treatment services. This has simplified life.
The mothers are not being charged a lot of money. All they do is to pay for the fuel and they are picked from home to the health facility in Mbale Hospital. About 8 to 10 women per month are supported to reach the hospital on time to be attended to see a skilled health worker.
Classes in Employable Skills for Women
Studies have shown that when women are economically empowered, their families tend to be healthier and more educated. Thus we have started two free job training classes in tailoring and hairdressing so that women gain skills to start working in these professions.
Tailoring Class is a once a week course that will occur over six months. Tailoring classes are held every Saturday from 2 pm - 6 pm. Attendance has been high, with 40 women regularly coming. Curriculum covers taking measurements, transforming measurements to cuts on a cloth, and learning patterns of boys school uniform, girls school uniform, a dress shirt, trousers and a woman's dress.
Hairdressing Class is a month-long course that occurs during the long holiday. Attendance has been near 100% for a mostly young group of 33 women. Curriculum involves second twists, third twists, weaves and pencil.
Computer Classes
At Mother's Heart Uganda, we teach a practical computer course every Sunday from 3 pm - 6 pm all throughout the year. Students practice using the mouse, typing, navigating the file system and accessing the internet. They also learn to use programs like Word, Powerpoint, Excel and Virtual DJ.
Youth Group Meetings
Once a week we host youth group meetings designed to provide support with issues that come with adolescence. They are open to all youth, but occasionally separate meetings are held for girls to discuss issues specific to them.
Past topics include staying in school, achieving one's goals, dealing with a boyfriend/girlfriend, teen pregnancy, safe sex, HIV/AIDS awareness and safe menstruation.
