In Uganda, vital healthcare for vulnerable people is often compromised by corruption. Life-saving medications go missing, funds to pay nurses disappear and patients are forced to pay bribes to save the lives of their loved ones. We created the Citizen Action Platform (CAP) as a means for patients to report and eliminate the maltreatment they confront. Now, people are able to stand-up to injustice and improve their communities through a simple text message.
In Uganda, as in many developing countries, vital public healthcare resources meant for the poor is stolen by corruption. Generous donations and government funds which are meant to save the lives of sick babies, suffering from curable diseases like malaria, are "lost" or stolen before it ever reaches them. As a result, poor mothers are forced to choose between buying food or paying illegitimate fees to obtain life-saving medicine for their sick child.
The CAP program reduces corruption and improves healthcare by analyzing citizen reports of corruption submitted through UNICEF's U-report system (ureport.in). These reports are then categorized, consolidated, tracked, visualized and forwarded to community groups and volunteers for follow-up. With this information, volunteers work together with government officials to resolve individual problems, reduce opportunities for corruption and improve management.
Since 2014, we've experienced significant improvements in the healthcare services of the target region, such as: electricity and running water restored to 3 health facilities; increased availability of birthing-kits, bed nets and medications; improved adherence to cleanliness standards; and so much more. Continuing the program will support the heroic actions of 3 community groups, 63 volunteers, and ensure approximately 100,000 people in Nothern Uganda continue to receive basic healthcare.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
