MAFs work with Hands of Hope, Ugandan NGO

MAF has just returned from a visit to Hands of Hope in Tororo, Uganda where our cervical cancer films have been piloted and used in conjunction with outreach screening days.

Hands of Hope (HoH) is an organisation founded and managed by Phibby Aware. This NGO supports and pioneers a variety of activities aimed at improving the lives of those living in Tororo District, Uganda. It has grown exceptionally from its original focus, which was geared towards assisting the districts AIDS orphans, to the multifaceted organisation it is today with a strong focus on women’s health, education and empowerment. This is down to the incredible drive and determination of Phibby and her team of volunteers.

 

Phibby organised for us to visit numerous health centres, clinics and hospitals and arranged for us to meet with and interview many women’s groups operating under HoH. We were also given the opportunity to interview traditional birth attendants who are very eager to receive further training and education. We also met with and interviewed a selection of HIV positive women’s groups, headed up by Judith Apai, and conducted interviews with women who have previously undergone cervical cancer screenings in the district to hear of their experiences. All of this has given us a much clearer picture of the health care availability in the district and we are very grateful to everyone who took the time to talk with us.

 

We were further given the opportunity to show our VIA (Visual Inspection with Acetic acid) animation to over 100 women none of whom had been screened preciously for cervical cancer and knew little if anything of the disease. This allowed us to highlight the simplicity and importance of the screening process and raise awareness of the disease. We were also fortunate to be accompanied by a reporter, David, from a local Tororo radio station, Radio Veros, who is very keen to introduce educational segments into their broadcasts with a focus on addressing health, agricultural and financial issues.

 

One final activity which impressed us thoroughly was the presence of very organised and successful microfinance schemes operating within the various women’s groups in the district. HoH is looking to develop these schemes further with the aim of improving businesses productivity for the women in the district.

 

The start of this week marked the 100th anniversary since the launch of International Women's Day which celebrates the economic, political and social achievements of women across the Globe. This trip to Tororo has allowed us to see first hand the extraordinary steps that have been made for women in this district in particular many of which have been facilitated by Phibby and her team of volunteers at HoH.

 

It is MAFs hope that we can continue to build upon the existing and impressive activities of the women in Tororo through increasing the level of health education, training and delivery in the district. We aim to do so by providing further training for traditional birth attendants, nurses and midwives as well as delivering increased training for methods of diagnosis and treatment of cervical cancer.

 

We would like to thank Phibby and everyone involved for making us feel so welcome and we look forward to developing our relationship with this remarkable organisation.

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