Physical Health Uganda Project #9919

Care for All: Build a Mobile Clinic for Rural Gulu

by Karin Community Initiatives Uganda

Care for All: Build a Mobile Clinic for Rural Gulu

Project Report | Oct 2, 2026
Breaking the Cycle of Reinfection

By Herbert Onen | Programs manager

Thank you for helping us move from treating one patient at a time to caring for couples. When a woman is treated for an STI at antenatal care but her partner is not, reinfection is likely, and that puts her pregnancy and her baby at risk. Between January and August 2026, your support allowed us to hold community outreach sessions, train community volunteers to carry this message into homes, and buy the lab test kits and medicines needed to screen and treat identified cases quickly.

The results are encouraging. About 38 couples were notified after one partner was confirmed positive, and slightly more than 20 of them came in for testing. Twelve couples were treated together, and about 8 of those couples have told us they are well, with no recurrence of infection. Men are also starting to show up for their families: about 4 couples now attend maternity visits together, and 3 attend immunisation visits together. In a setting where it is mostly women who come to the health facility, this is a real change.

Behind these numbers are real families. One woman came to us after about three months of lower abdominal pain and abnormal discharge. She had visited several clinics in the city, and each time the treatment seemed to work, but the infection kept coming back. “I was disappointed when it returned,” she told us. At our facility, the clinician asked whether she was married and whether her partner had ever been treated. He visits only once in a while and had never agreed to be tested. Guided by the clinician over the phone, he agreed, came in, was tested and was treated together with her. She has recovered, and she has not had those symptoms again.

There is still work to do. Close to half of the couples we notify have not yet come for testing, and many women still attend the clinic alone. In the coming months we will focus our outreach on men, follow up with couples who have not yet come, and keep counseling, community mobilization and confidentiality at the center of our work so that couples feel safe taking this step together. Thank you for standing with these families.

Links:

Attachments:

DEVELOPED_GLOBAL_GIVING_REPORT_COUPLE_ORIENTEED_SCREENING.docx (DOCX)

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Sep 30, 2026
BRINGING HEALTHCARE TO THEIR DOOR STEP

By Herbert Onen | Programs manager

Karin Community Initiative Uganda (KCIU) continues to bring essential healthcare services closer to underserved communities in Northern Uganda through mobile clinics and community outreach. During the reporting period, KCIU conducted more than 50 outreach activities across 12 villages, reaching over 600 community members with consultations, malaria and HIV testing, STI and typhoid screening, blood pressure checks, health education, referrals and linkage to continued care. In many rural communities, health centres are located far from where people live, while some villages have limited or no access to essential health services. For many families, the cost of transport can become an additional barrier to seeking care.

These barriers are particularly difficult for older people, persons with disabilities and low-income families who may not have the money, physical ability or support needed to travel long distances to a health facility. Mobile clinics help overcome these challenges by bringing healthcare closer to people's homes and communities. They provide opportunities to identify illness early, offer basic treatment and screening, provide referrals and extend health education directly to communities. Outreach health talks also enable families to receive practical information on disease prevention, healthy practices, early care-seeking and when to seek further medical attention.

Lutuk Village is an example of a community where access to nearby health facilities is limited. Through mobile outreach, KCIU is able to extend essential health services and health education to residents who would otherwise have to travel further to seek care. Beyond treating patients during outreach, the visits create an opportunity for healthcare workers to engage the wider community through health talks, answer questions and strengthen awareness about prevention and early treatment. This approach helps ensure that healthcare information and basic services reach people who may otherwise remain underserved.

Progressively, through your generosity and support, KCIU has been able to acquire a tuk-tuk tricycle to support transportation for our mobile clinic activities. This has strengthened our ability to reach communities that are distant from established health facilities and has provided a practical foundation for expanding this important arm of healthcare delivery. As we look ahead, we hope to visit more villages and reach communities more frequently, bringing both essential health services and health education closer to people's homes. This growth will require continued support for transport facilitation, fuel, medicines, outreach supplies and other operational costs. With sustained support, we can extend mobile clinics to more underserved communities and help ensure that distance, disability or limited household resources do not prevent people from accessing essential healthcare.

Links:

Attachments:

GLOBAL_GIVING_MOBILE_CLINICS_REPORT_2026.docx (DOCX)

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Mar 12, 2026
CLINIC OUTREACH

By Jemimah Agoriat | Project Leader

outreach

On 27th February 2026, the Unyama Clinic team set off for CUK Oddii Market, a lively trading center where hundreds of vendors gather every market day. This outreach was part of our February calendar, designed to bring essential health services closer to the people who need them most. Our intention was simple yet powerful — create awareness, offer care, and build trust within the community.

With this, we fueled our journey, mobilized the village health teams, fed the staff on duty, and made sure that communication lines stayed open throughout the exercise.

When we arrived, the market was already buzzing with traders arranging their produce, buyers bargaining, and children running between stalls. This made it the perfect place to engage people of all age groups — especially those who might not find time to visit a health facility.

Our objectives for the day were clear: raise awareness about our eye care services, encourage maternal and child health care, promote family planning, and remind the community about clinic day activities. We also planned to hold a short baraza — a community dialogue — to listen, learn, and address health concerns collectively.

The turnout was encouraging. By the end of the day, 64 clients had been served. Many came specifically for eye screening, which saw an impressive response. Several clients were referred for laboratory tests or specialized care, and a number of them also purchased prescribed medication on-site. Mothers used the opportunity to register for antenatal care, while others took up family planning methods. We also conducted NCD screenings, administered immunizations, and spoke to parents about the school health package, helping them understand how to better support the well-being of their children.

The outreach clearly indicated a demand for health services among community members.

More importantly, the activity achieved its mission: improving community awareness and providing critical services to people who may otherwise go months without screenings or consultations. The integration of different health services — from eye care to maternal health, from chronic disease screening to child immunization — demonstrated our commitment to holistic, accessible care.

As we wrapped up the day, one thing was clear: outreach activities remain a vital link between the clinic and the community. They help us meet people in their everyday environments, break down access barriers, and build a foundation of trust that encourages long-term care-seeking behavior.

Next Steps

Moving forward, we hope to strengthen our mobilization efforts to draw even larger crowds. We also aim to improve follow-up for clients who were referred or began ANC registration. Finally, we plan to capture lessons learned from this outreach to make future activities even more effective, impactful, and community-driven.

Links:

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