Towards improved livelihoods through Health Education and better Health Care; St. Charles Lwanga Health Centre, Kakamega, Chekalini, Kenya

Background

St. Charles Lwanga Health Centre is a faith based health care unit situated in Kakamega county, Lugari constituency, Koromaiti village, Chekalini Ward. It is a 24 hour facility offering in and out-patient services within and without its locality. The Centre is recognized and registered under the Ministry of Health. It began in the year 1974 upon the request of Arch Bishop Njenga to respond to the health needs of Chekalini residents which included high infant/mother mortality rates, malaria, typhoid, diarrhoea, Hiv/ Aids stigma among others.

The Centre exists to provide holistic, quality health care and health education to those in need of health services. Under the Comprehensive Care Unit, the Centre offers free HIV/Aids testing, counselling and treatment, homebased care and prevention of mother to child infections. The centre nurses an average of one hundred patients living with HIV/AIDS. Amongst these are children, young people aged 17 to 25, pregnant women and adults in general. Also the Centre has also been on the forefront in supporting patients with hypertension  through screening, medical outpatient clinics and outreach programs within Koromaiti village. In 2021, the program was reaching 1200 adults monthly vis/vis the centre’s target of 2.000 people  per month.

During the implementation of these programs, the Health Centre identifies emerging health issues amongst members of the community,  in need of the Health Centre’s intervention. These issues include risky cultural practices, such as women inheritance, myths and misconceptions about HIV/AIDS, stigmatization for patients of HIV/AIDS and minimal understanding on the topic which is putting members of the community at risk of contracting the HIV. This could be contributed by high levels of illiteracy and the remote location of the constituency. Women are generally disadvantaged due to little access to education and employment opportunities and thus unable to access proper health care. Further, culture has placed women as the primary care givers in the family posing a challenge as far as home based care for AIDS patients for women who have no basic education on the illness. Children are at risk of transmission through mother to child infections and adolescents are often stigmatized to a point of developing very low self esteem.

Poverty is also a major concern since a majority of these patients are unable to treat opportunistic illnesses thus become weak and are unable to visit health care facilities. Some are required to walk for very long distances in order to access health care. Most children orphaned by HIV/Aids are usually left under the care of grandparents or relatives who are sometimes unable to provide basic needs such as food, education, shelter and clothing due to old age and high levels of poverty. Unfortunately the Centre is able to reach out only to nearby villages due to limited resources such as funds, human resource and equipment e.g test kits vis/vis the increasing demand for Health Education, treatment and home based care.

Overall objective: 

To reach 2000 residents of Chekalini Ward monthly through HIV/AIDS and healthy heart programmes. 

Specific objectives

1. To offer free monthly screening for 700 adults for HIV/AIDS, diabetes and hypertension through outreach programmes.
2. To conduct monthly HIV/AIDS educative forums for 50 people in each of the 12 villages of Chekalini Ward
3. To conduct monthly healthy heart outreaches for 50 people in each of the 12 villages of Chekalini Ward
4. To offer continuous free HIV/AIDS testing and counselling
5. To support sixty children orphaned by HIV/AIDs with school uniforms
6. To conduct one Healthy Heart Clinic monthly at the health Centre
7. To ensure zero mother to child HIV infections
8. To conduct two home based care visits per month for HIV/AIDS patients living in Chekalini Ward
9. To conduct 6 health school educative forums
10. To conduct two open days on nutrition at the Health Centre
11. To train four Community Health Volunteers on HIV/AIDS home based care and hypertension
12. Establish four HIV/AIDS support groups in the target areas.

Activities

• Free screening for 700 adults for HIV/AIDS, diabetes and hypertension through outreach programmes

  • Under this activity trained community health volunteers shall work hand in hand with the clinicians at the centre to undertake screening for possible new infections in HIV/AIDS, hypertension and diabetes.This they shall undertake within the health centre, in opportunistic meetings such as funerals, women village group meetings, churches amongst others. This shall also be done during the monthly outreaches in the twelve villages in Chekalini ward.

• Conduct monthly HIV/AIDS educative forum in 12 villages in Chekalini Ward

  • This shall be done through community mobilization.  Community health volunteers shall mobilize members of the community for educative forums on HIV/AIDS and stigma, importance of testing, etc in all the target villages. Support groups are formed in villages where necessary.

• Conduct monthly healthy Heart outreaches in 12 villages in Chekalini Ward

  • This shall be done through community mobilization. Members of the community in the target villages shall be enlightened on hypertension, causes, symptoms, treatment and healthy habits e.g. nutrition

• Conduct 6 (six) school educative forums on HIV/AIDs

  • Clinicians from St. Charles Lwanga Health Center shall undertake health talks in schools within Chekalini Ward

Results

1. Improved livelihoods and better health care services in  Chekalini ward
2. Reduced stigmatization of victims of HIV/AIDS in Chekalini Ward
3. Increased awareness on HIV/AIDS, hypertension and diabetes in Chekalini Ward
4. Increased awareness on services offered by St. Charles Lwanga Health Center among members of Chekalini Ward
5. Decreased HIV prevalence in Chekalini Ward
6. Improved policies and laws on health care in Kakamega County

People being served : People who are marginalised

Age group : Adults 26-60, Children 0-17, Seniors 61-99, Young people 18-25

Number of participants : 101-250

Project status : Ongoing

Society presence : Uganda/Kenya

Focus of the project : People

JPIC Imperative : Transforming and Being Transformed, Washing One Another’s Feet

UN Sustainable Development Goals : 1 No Poverty, 3 Good Health and Well being