Bring healthcare to 1,000+ Awake Uganda villagers

Excitement builds in the village of Awake in Northern Uganda as the Kristina Health Center (KHC) patient ward building nears completion. Built by a team of 19 local Ugandan workers in a period of four months, the building exterior is complete. Jimmy Okullo, AUCF Operations Manager, and brother of foundation founder Julius Achon reports villagers travel for miles - simply to see the new construction. The ward becomes the third building on the KHC campus, along with a 10 room clinic and staff living quarters for the five person medical staff. Once opened in October, the 18 bed patient ward will allow an expansion of the medical services offered to the community. Patients, some of whom travel 10+ miles for treatment, will, if needed, have a bed to sleep, and overnight medical care and medicines including intra-venous fluids and drugs. Currently patients requiring an overnight stay sleep in the clinic lobby or are taken in by local villagers.

The expansion of patients services afforded by the patient ward is expected to significantly increase the number of patients treated at Kristina Health Center. Currently, an average of 400 patients are seen and treated monthly. I spoke to Emmanuel Achar, senior medical officer, who enthusiastically explained how the ward will allow multi-day treatment for patients requiring a series of injections or simply a place to sleep for patients too weak to return home after treatment. He vividly recalled a four month old baby with pneumonia requiring an overnight stay for a series of antibiotic injections and the baby and mother sleeping on a makeshift cot on the clinic lobby floor. "Care will improve as well as a reduction in patient suffering. You have no idea how the dignity of a patient improves by providing a clean bed to sleep."

The ward is the first of two buildings planned for the KHC campus. Once the ward is completed and adequate funds raised, a second staff living quarters will be built to accomodate an expanded medical staff - both local and visiting from the USA and elsewhere. Since the health center is a difficult 42 miles from the nearest town Lira, on-site staff accomodation is a necessity.

The Awake villagers, Kristina HC staff and all of us at Achon Uganda Children's Fund greatly appreciate the generous ongoing support provided by you our donors. With your help, the villagers of Awake and beyond can now access health care when needed.

Links:

• Achon Uganda Children website