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Training Village Health Workers to ensure access to basic community health in rural Uganda
VHWs are volunteers within their community around URF who act as an on-site basic health care provider, in a community that otherwise has no immediate access to health care. For three weeks in August of 2012, a group of nine students from the University of Minnesota Medical School volunteered their time at the Uganda Rural […]
Improving community health starts with kids: Medical students conduct health education in Uganda’s rural schools
“We covered hygiene, nutrition, and malaria, finishing with a game of mosquito net tag in which students had to run away from the Mzungu mosquitoes into the safety of mosquito nets. The students also enjoyed receiving crayons and hygiene related pictures to color,” says one of the medical students For three weeks in August of […]
University of Minnesota Medical Students reaching out to Ugandan villages through Medical Camps
“The main diseases we treated were malaria, peptic ulcer disease, syphilis, pelvic inflammatory disease, malnutrition, osteoarthritis, and back pain and body aches. For many that live in this rural region of Uganda, there is not ready access to healthcare, so they were happy to receive convenient treatment,” says one of the medical students. For three […]
Life at URF – The Soccer game: A Volunteer’s experience in Uganda
Only a few short days after we arrived at URF, there was talk of a soccer game challenge between the URF staff and us (the University of Minnesota Medical students). There was a lot of trash talking between both team members in the days leading up to the game. A tremendous amount of anticipation had […]
Orphan Epidemic: Nine-Year-Old Boy Cares for Three Siblings and Elderly Grandmother
One out of every seven children in Uganda are orphans. The epidemic is largely attributed to the ongoing HIV/AIDS crisis in Uganda. Uganda Rural Fund (URF) recently identified five child-headed families who are struggling to survive against all odds. These orphans display bravery uncommon even in adults, by carrying the burden, head of household. Even […]
Students making Herbal Soap & Jelly to improve health, hygiene and generate income
URF staff with Hope Academy students have started making herbal soap and jelly as a strategy to become self-reliant and reduce the dependency on donor funding. The main objective of this project is three-fold: to generate income using local resources to produce a product with a local market.; to act as a means of improving […]
Should Children Have to Overcome Rain and Scorching Heat to Receive an Education?
They do in Gankahga village in Uganda, the inadequate number of classrooms force many children outside to study in the scorching heat and suffer constant interruptions during the rainy season. “We need a classroom!” is the unison cry from the little kids standing under a shaky torn canopy. Studying outdoors adds yet more challenges these […]
Solar lamps for all Students at Hope Academy to enable them to study at night
URF gave each student at Hope Academy a solar lamp to enable them to read at home during the night. Our students come from rural villages with no electricity and the price of kerosene becomes a hindrance for many of them to study from home. Some students walk long distances to get to school and […]
Rainwater harvesting system for Bugonzi primary school installed by EWB
Water is a big crisis in most rural communities in Uganda. When speaking with students, they highlight the shortage of water and walking long distances to access shallow wells as one of the major problems they face. URF in a partnership with EWB at University of Minnesota seeks to alleviate this water problem. This summer […]
A gift of a bike to alleviate the burden of students walking long distances to school
Students in rural villages face so many challenges that make impact their learning experience. Among these challenges is the long distances most of them have to walk to get to school. Imagine walking three miles to to school every day! Some students have to start walking at six in the morning to be able to […]
