History of Soft Power Health

Dr Jessie Stone is the overseeing director and fundraiser of the medical clinic that has been built in the heart of Kyabirwa village, Jinja. Not only is she a professional kayaker, but she’s also a qualified doctor and these two skills, whilst independent of one another, bought her to Uganda in January 2003.

She came as part of a kayaking expedition to paddle the Nile. It was during this trip that two of the team members came down with malaria – having identified the symptoms early enough Jessie was able to treat both men quickly and effectively.

Remaining in Uganda she met Hannah Small, the founding director of Soft Power Education. Her curiosity was such that she asked Hannah about the local community; how did they deal with malaria, did they use mosquito nets, did they have access to anti malarial drugs? She was told a resounding no to virtually all of the above. The fire was stoked. Jessie knew that she would come back to Uganda, not only to kayak, but also to do something for the community – something that would be simple and beneficial. It was also an opportunity for her to use her medical degree at hands on grass roots level.

During the last year Jessie has been concentrating on an anti-malaria campaign within the local communities. Mosquito nets have been sold, follow up visits have been done, workshops with the local men, women and children have been hosted and the results have been astonishing.

Mission Statement

By building a clinic specifically created to successfully bring preventative health care to a rural community, we hope to become a model for community-based public health in Uganda and improve the quality of life for the Ugandan people

Our Achievements so far:-

• 1 health clinic built (but not furnished yet) in Kyabirwa village (will include laboratory, dispensary, and two rooms for seeing patients)
• 322 Ugandans in Kyabirwa and Namizi Central villages educated about Malaria
• 330 Mosquito nets sold to Ugandans in these villages at a reduced cost of 3000 Ugsh
• 158 Follow-up visits made so far to net buyers, most nets having been hung and in use
• 72 homes visited for base-line knowledge and health care usage in Lukolo, Mutai, Namizi West and Namizi Central villages
  

What We Have Learned

Rural Ugandans do not get the information they need from the current government health organization – they do not fully understand what causes Malaria and how to prevent it. By bringing them knowledge and also bringing mosquito nets to them, in the village, one can produce behavior change that should prevent disease.

Our Future Plans

We plan on measuring malaria incidence in the year to come to see if incidence of the disease reduces. Once the clinic is operating, we will be able to do malaria tests and HIV tests. We hope to expand our health education into other areas including: Reproductive Health, Personal Hygiene, Environmental Hygiene, Nutrition, Life-Skills Training for Adolescents and First Aid.

For more information www.softpowerhealth.org