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Empower women with Fistula in their economic and social re-introductions in the Kyangwali refugee Settlement and the local community.

 

Uganda has the second highest birth rate in the world and maternal mortality is very high. Limited access to quality maternal care continues to pose a major risk for pregnancy-related disorders. Obstetric fistulas, a vaginal injury that usually occurs during prolonged births with a lack of proper medical care, are very common and many women are unaware that this can be treated and often corrected through surgery.

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Obstetric fistulas are a medical condition in which a hole develops in the birth canal as a result of a birth. This occurs especially between the vagina and bladder or rectum, and results in incontinence of urine and feces. Obstetric fistulas are by far the most common form of fistula in the Kyangwali Refugee Settlement.

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In addition to the physical ailments this causes for women, psychological stigma and the accompanying bad smell that comes from the disorder lead to major social and economic consequences. Not least, many of the women experience major emotional and psychological problems, including feelings of shame, depression, lack of self-confidence, rejection and loss of marital and sexual rights.

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Women with Obstetric Fistulas are often neglected by their husbands and families, cannot work and are stigmatized by the local community. They are very often among the poorest and most vulnerable.

P4T offers psychosocial support before and after surgery with support from Medical Teams International (MTI), which operates surgical units to repair Obstetric Fistulas for Women in the Kyangwali Refugee Settlement and the local community.

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HIV/AIDS-prevention

 

Prevention, Treatment and Support for people infected and affected by HIV;

Living Positively (LP) HIV project.

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In Uganda, almost 1.6 million people live with HIV, of which almost 96,000 are children under the age of 14. Orphans due to AIDS are estimated to be 660,000 children, and annually approx. 28,000 people with AIDS die according to a study by UNAIDS.

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Kyangwali Refugee Settlement is a multicultural place that needs a multicultural approach to address common issues such as HIV / AIDS and gender-based sexual violence (SGBV). P4T is run by people from many different cultures and countries; DR-Congo, South Sudan, Rwanda, Kenya, Burundi and Uganda.

 

Due to the difficulties of the refugees, many of them are vulnerable to HIV / AIDS due to family breakdown, repeated relocations, greater socio-economic vulnerability and sexual violence such as rape, oppression, sexual exploitation of women and children in particular. Most refugees are afraid to admit that they are infected, while others suffer from depression due to discrimination and stigma, cultural counter-perceptions, premature and forced marriages, substance abuse and alcoholism.

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Prostitution has contributed to large networks that increase the chance of getting HIV and other infections. Women and children are the most vulnerable in this situation. Surveys conducted by ACCORD in December 2013 showed that over 60% of women in the Kyangwali Refugee Settlement do not go to maternity care. This makes them particularly vulnerable to mother-to-child transmission of HIV and maternal mortality. As previously mentioned, most refugees are afraid to admit that they carry the infection.

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The 90 90 90 strategy has an ambitious goal of stopping the AIDS pandemic. P4T focuses on the first 90 by assuring us that 90% of the population has been tested and knows about their own status. We regularly perform Voluntary Counseling and HIV Testing (VCT) as well as HIV awareness training and campaigns in the Kyangwali Refugee Settlement and the surrounding community.

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Living Positively (LP) HIV project focuses on people who are infected and affected by HIV / AIDS (ie PHAs and OVCs) and ensures that people in the local community who are HIV-negative learn to protect themselves in a mixed society. P4T also works to enable PHAs to live good lives in harmony with other people without discrimination and stigmatization as well as empowering orphans to become resourceful both socially and financially.

P4T Annual Medical Mission

 

P4T started medical mission program in 2019 in Uganda where we mobilize international doctors from several countries to come and help save lives and provide hope for refugees and underdeveloped communities. The mission brought in 20 International Medical Volunteers from different countries like France, Canada, UK and USA, provided direct health services to 6000+ patients and trained 240+ health workers in UNHCR and Government of Uganda health centers (Maratatu and Kyangwali Health Center III) in Kyangwali Refugee settlement. This is on top of medical supplies worth USD 40,000 and medical equipment worth USD 25,000 including 5 ultrasound machines and hospital beds.

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 Health Education

Forewarned is forearmed! Clearing misconceptions and providing informative knowledge to majorly illiterate population is so empowering and protective.

Lack of information about health crises is a crisis in itself. Ailing from violating war situations and living in states of emergencies; HIV/AIDS, GBV, Cholera, Ebola and now COVID 19 have remained misunderstood and mishandled in the multi-cultural refugee population. P4T provide health education both refugees and host communities mostly in area of Cholera, Ebola, HIV/AID, COVID-19. So far, over 13,000 have received our educative information.