Uganda

Target Population:
Students at the Mama Kevina Secondary School, local youth in the surrounding slums, as well as the general population of Tororo, and Malaba at the Uganda/Kenya border, and Lira Nursing School in northern Uganda.

Project Goals:
• Alleviate post-traumatic stress for the students at Mama Kevina Comprehensive Secondary School, local youth in the surrounding slums, as well as the general population of Tororo, and Malaba at the Uganda/Kenya border, and Lira Nursing School in northern Uganda, and rounding villages to the college.
• Decrease cases of malaria among school staff and students.

Project Objectives:
• Support John Ochwo with medicines, medical supplies and medical consultation at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala for heart disease before taken to India for cardiac surgery and after return to Uganda.
• Support community with Acupuncture treatment
• Support Mama Kevina Comprehensive School with food supply for the students

Summary of RMF/WCF-sponsored activities carried out during the reporting period under each project objective:

NADA (National Acupuncture Detoxification Association) and body point acupuncture treatments continue to be provided for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and common health conditions for people of the town of Tororo, as well as Malaba at the Uganda/Kenyan border.

Mama Kevina Comprehensive was sponsored with food supplies by RMF/WCF. This brought many smiles to the students’ faces and lessened Sr. Clare’s worries.

John Ochwo is being facilitated with medication funds, given to him monthly.

Faith, and Naku Charles Lwanga, RMF’s Country Coordinator Uganda, continue treating the Tororo community with NADA. Word keeps spreading throughout town regarding the body point acupuncture and NADA treatment.

Results and/or accomplishments achieved during this reporting period:

The RMF trained Acupuncture and Yoga team continued to serve those in the community.

Charles Naku remained active, treating students, bodaboda drivers and community members living in the Tororo slums.

Faith Karakacha continued to serve those along the Uganda/Kenya border and at Lira Nursing School.

John Ochwo, our rheumatic heart disease patient, receives medications and attends his monthly examination at National Referral Hospital Mulago, Kampala, both services of which are provided by RMF/WCF.

Food support was provided to the students at Mama Kevina Comprehensive Secondary School.

Photos Below of Student's supported:

Number served/number of direct project beneficiaries (for example, average number treated per day or month and if possible, per health condition).

During the last reporting period:

• 119 residents in the Mama Kevina slums and in Tororo were treated by Charles with the NADA protocol of which 57 were male and 62 were female.
• 200 Mama Kevina students continued practicing yoga.
• 111 NADA treatments were provided by Faith; 49 male and 62 female patients,
• 123 Body Point treatments were provided by Faith to patients at the Malaba Uganda/Kenya border, the community of Tororo, and Lira Nursing School in northern Uganda; 72 female and 51 male patients.

Success Stories:

Okello Ikisa is a 27 year old Boda boda (taxi) driver who recently started drinking heavily when he and his wife had family conflicts. He brought himself for NADA treatment to address his drinking problem as it was affecting his ability to work. This is his second time he is facing this same problem. He had fought with his wife and she ran away and left him with the children and he could not take care of the children. He resorted to drinking, becoming a nuisance, his colleagues brought him to me and I helped him, just as I did when this happened the first time, and it worked for him. Since he started receiving his regular treatment, his drinking has decreased and he is back to his riding bodaboda and working steadily once again.

Akello Christine, a student in Senior Level Three at Mama Kevina, is an orphan and is being educated at the school for free. She lacks concentration due to thinking about the loss of her parents and she has no one to give her scholastic materials like pens, pencils, and books which her guardians cannot provide. I have counseled her and encouraged her to do casual jobs when she goes for holidays. On top of this I have been treating her with acupuncture. For this second term, she has reported with scholastic materials which she got from her casual labor following my advice, and she appreciates acupuncture treatment because, it makes her feel relaxed every time she receives the treatment.

Patricia Awor, a student at Mama Kevina in Senior Two, stated that whenever she dreams, she dreams that her bed turns into a hole in the ground like a grave. When I started treating her with acupuncture she reported that nowadays she is sleeping through the night with no more upsetting dreams, and that she is feeling less isolated and better about herself.