Annual Report •• 2020 I Table of CONTENTS
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UGANDA HEALTH PROJECT 20 ANNUAL 20 REPORT Theme: Continuing with health interventions amidst COVID 19 Pandemic Prepared by: Peace Corps Health Team Prepared for: Peace Corps health partners and stakeholders BCC BRO DREAMS Behavior Change Boys Reaching Out Determined, Resilient, Communication Empowered, AIDS Free and Mentored EPCMD GLOW MNCH Ending Preventable Child Girls Leading Our World Maternal, Newborn and and Maternal Deaths Child Health OVC PAC PCVs Orphans and Vulnerable Project Advisory Committee Peace Corps Volunteers Children PEPFAR PMI RUMPS Presidential Emergency Presidential Malaria Initiative Re-Usable Menstrual Pads Plan for AIDS Relief USAID VHT VSLA United States Agency for Village Health Team Village Savings and Loan International Development Association VSO WASH WHO Volunteer Service Overseas Water, Sanitation and Hygiene World Health Organization HEALTH PROJECT •• Annual Report •• 2020 i Table of CONTENTS List of acronyms..................................................................2 Remarks by Peace Corps staff.........................................4 Executive Summary.........................................................7 Introduction......................................................................8 Peace Corps’ development philosophy and sustainability approach................................................8 About Peace Corps Uganda Health Project..............8 Post level activities....................................................14 Peace Corps Volunteer level activities...................23 Outputs........................................................................25 Impact of COVID 19 pandemic..................................25 Partners and stakeholders........................................26 Success Stories...............................................................27 Plans moving forward...................................................27 List of common resources/materials used...................27 HIV/AIDS prevention.........................................................31 Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC)........................................................32 Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH)................................................32 Malari..........................................................................................................................32 Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)....................................................................32 Appendix...............................................................................................................................32 UGANDA HEALTH PROJECT •• Annual Report •• 2020 ii Remarks by Peace Corps staff James T. Ham Country Director Dear Partners and Stakeholders, of health components. This puts the health This year, Peace Corps celebrates its 60th activities at the core of our programming and anniversary of global service, and a partnership community work. with the people of Uganda that is as old as 52 years! Built on the values of peace and friendship, Although Peace Corps Volunteers had to leave the the Peace Corps has inspired generations of country early this year due to the threats of Ugandans to learn and work hard for their COVID-19 pandemic, we continued to engage with country’s development. I would like to take this host communities, and to complete several opportunity to thank all the partners for the unfinished projects. Our hope is that conditions will support that has enabled the Health Project to soon permit the Volunteers to return to the consistently meet its objectives over the years. country. Admittedly, the pandemic has taught us There is perhaps no better way to celebrate this to be more innovative in our work and to put in enduring partnership than to reflect on some of place more sustainable strategies. In addition to the milestones that have been collectively the regular Health Volunteers, we are expecting an achieved in the past year. initial (small) cohort of Volunteers to arrive in the country in 2021 under the auspices of a new My experience during the short stay in this program – Advanced Health Program, a successor beautiful country – now entering into the third to the Global Health Partnership Program (GHSP) year – is one of cooperation and collaboration. I that closed in 2018. have come to appreciate how so much can be achieved working together with government, I would like to end by reiterating Peace Corps partners, communities and all the other commitment to partnership development as a stakeholders. It is interesting to note that the means of building strong, healthy and resilient objectives of both our Education (primary literacy) communities in Uganda. It is my pleasure to invite and Agribusiness projects are more you to read this edition of our Health Project comprehensively addressed with the integration report. HEALTH PROJECT •• Annual Report •• 2020 01 Remarks Mariah Cisse Director Programming and Training joined the Peace Corps Uganda taking part in addressing these challenges team as the Director of in the country. Programming and Training in February 2020, and shortly One of the major accomplishments of our thereafterI helped to evacuate all of our Health Project staff after the evacuation of Volunteers from the country due to Volunteers was the continuation of malaria COVID-19 pandemic. prevention activities. They collaborated with partners and communities to assess COVID-19 has taken the world by storm and needs, identify target populations and Uganda is not an exception. Unfortunately, distributed 15,000 mosquito bed nets to Uganda has other serious health challenges vulnerable groups across the country. They such as high infection rates of Malaria and have maintained communication and HIV/AIDS that cannot be ignored in the engagement with our partner meantime. Peace Corps Uganda’s Health organizations and are working hard to Project focuses on: HIV/AIDS prevention, ensure a smooth transition when Malaria prevention, Orphans and Volunteers are able to return to Uganda. Vulnerable Children (OVC), Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH), Ending While COVID-19 has made it challenging to Preventable Child and Maternal Deaths, and meet the goals of the project, our team organization capacity building. Although I remains dedicated to finding innovative did not have the opportunity to see ways to remain active and engaged. This Volunteer projects at their host has been a time of reflection and we are organizations, I did get to observe several focused on what we can do even better to training sessions that our Health Project ensure a strong, dynamic and sustainable Team facilitated to support HIV/AIDS program as we move forward. Thank you prevention focusing on the most vulnerable for your interest in the Peace Corps Uganda groups in the country. Despite the absence Health Project and please enjoy reading of Volunteers, I witnessed the continued more about our important work in the dedication and passion of our team for enclosed report. HEALTH PROJECT •• Annual Report •• 2020 02 Remarks Cotious Tukashaba Program Manager Health have the honor to present the 2020 In the absence of Volunteers, Peace Corps annual report on the work of the Peace Health Project revised the mode of operation Corps Uganda Health Project. The and focused on priority areas with the host report highlights the technical health country partners as well as the completion of activitiesI accomplished during the period of pending Volunteer projects that were on stand October 2019 through September 2020. The still after the abrupt Volunteer evacuation. The interventions were guided by the logical health direct staff and partner engagement has also framework that was approved in December 2018 yielded very positive results including and running through 2026, PEPFAR interagency completion of some pending projects in the priorities within Uganda as well as the Ministry communities we serve, information exchange of Health Strategic Plan. The report is also and learning via WhatsApp group. complemented by Peace Corps Volunteer activities before their global evacuation in March I am glad to report that Peace Corps Uganda 2020 and the continuous partner engagement Health Project implemented Malaria and support of various health interventions by prevention especially targeting vulnerable Peace Corps Health staff during the COVID-19 groups such as Orphans and other Vulnerable pandemic. Children, Maternal Child Health and HIV prevention activities amidst the COVID 19 The year 2020 had started on a very good note pandemic. Partners were guided and and successfully implemented all the activities in incorporated COVID 19 standard operating the first trimester as planned including; procedures in interventions which was not DREAMS, Grassroot Soccer and OVC technical originally in their framework but was adopted trainings among other interventions. Little did across all the activities. we know that from the month of March, things would change drastically including the global As we transition into the “new normal” this evacuation of Peace Corps Volunteers, country financial year 2020/2021, Peace Corps Uganda lock down and lots of interruptions that greatly Health Project remains committed to and negatively affected the implementation of supporting the national priorities according to Health Project activities. the Ministry of Health and hopefully sooner or later, Volunteers will return to Uganda and Given the obtaining global turbulent situation, continue working with their host organizations