COVID-19
What is the purpose of this page?
1. provide you with updates on our activities related to the current Covid-19 pandemic
2. provide you with further information for example through online courses and links to the most current data
Our activities in Uganda
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Uganda is currently in lockdown like many other countries, with movements allowed just for buying food and some other important businesses. As you know, the Mama & Family Project provides effective support to women and infants during pregnancy and after childbirth, in 6 villages of Mayuge district. The services provided by Fancy and Margaret, midwife and nurse, at the Maina clinic as well as home visits from community health workers (CHWs) are essential to ensure the health of women and their infants. These services are even more important during this pandemic, where the main health system is at risk of becoming overwhelmed by coronavirus cases. Therefore, the project’s health workers are needed now more than ever to support pregnant women and mothers. However, it is absolutely vital for our health workers to receive proper training and equipment to protect themselves and the women they come into contact with. Therefore, we have developed some informative material for CHWs and their communities in the local language, lusoga. Anyone individual or organization that will find these leaflets useful are welcome to use them. You can download them from below here and contact communications@sogh.se for any query.
We have also started a fundraising campaign asking you to help us to buy what is needed right now to ensure the safety of the health workers. From soap to gloves, from sanitizer for surfaces to N95 masks, and even birth kits. Any donation will help. The more we can fundraise, the more we can buy, and any surplus will be shared with other small facilities that have similar demands. Follow the link below to donate.
We know how difficult this time has been for many of us, but helping each other is what will make us go through this. Distant But Together. Our kindness for one another can be more viral than the virus. Let’s be our Best Humanity.
LSHTM COVID-19 Public Engagement Grant
We have been one of the lucky recipients of the “COVID-19 Public Engagement Grant” of the London School of Hygene and Tropical Medicine for our Kodhi Kodhi Project!
“COVID-19 is not just about COVID-19. In fact, COVID-19 has an impact that goes beyond the disease it causes, jeopardising access to fundamental health services, with a long-term impact especially for the most vulnerable populations. For instance, pregnant women do not stop giving birth, so it is essential to continue to provide maternal services like the ones provided by Community Health Workers (CHWs) running the Mama & Family Project in six rural villages in Uganda. However, during this pandemic CHWs could also play a very central role in reducing the spread of the virus. Therefore, the Kodhi Kodhi Project will not only provide the necessary tools for the CHWs to continue working safely but will empower them to engage their entire communities in maintaining hygiene behaviours, such as hand washing. CHWs are trusted and well known for their health promotion activities, therefore their voices could trigger a long-lasting behavioural change that will have a positive outcome beyond COVID-19.”
Impressions of the Covid-19 response in Uganda
Josh and Fancy delivering material for the Maina clinic
Preparation of the washing vessel, adding soap and jink (sanitizer)
Taking the materials to hand over to the local leader in Kabere village for the community to use
Samanya, CHW, receiving protective materials like gloves, masks and hand sanitizer
Traning of Fancy and Margaret, midwife and nurse, at the Maina Clinic by district official
Some of the hand sanitizers for CHWs and surface sanitizers for the clinic that were packed in one box
Our policy on the Covid-19 pandemic
Learn more
Online courses:
How to put on and remove personal protective equipment
This is a guide for healthcare workers involved in patient care activities in a healthcare setting. It aims to show the type of personal protective equipment or PPE needed to correctly protect oneself, demonstrate the correct way to put on and remove PPE and the correct way to perform hand hygiene with an alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR), according to the WHO-recommended method.
ISNTD Connect: A series of online short meetings to learn, share and stay connected
Free and open to all online meetings that are focusing on all the major aspects of infectious and neglected tropical diseases, including basic science, diagnostics, therapeutics, drug discovery, WASH, vector control, science communication & public engagement, public health. Scheduled to last about 30-60 minutes.
COVID-19: Tackling the Novel Coronavirus
Free course of the London School of Hygene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) started on March 23 that provides information regarding the spread of COVID-19 and the public health response worldwide
Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Free WHO online course, focused on infection prevention and control, intended for healthcare workers and public health professionals
COVID-19: Operational Planning Guidelines and COVID-19 Partners Platform to support country preparedness and response
Free WHO online course intended to support country preparedness and response to COVID-19