Village Health Clubs: creating a collective voice
6 December 2013
Kabagenyi Scovia and Kiiza Langton are the facilitating VHTs of the Kagamba-Kamu (meaning ‘collective voice’) village health club in Kigungu village; a fishing community on the shores of Lake Albert.
“We formed the club as soon as we came back from the sub-county training. The interest from the community has been big; we have 70 members out of the 150 households.”
“Overall the club has been successful. We have seen improved cleanliness in members’ homes. They’re now using drying racks and latrines, and are clearing stagnant water and cutting bushes around their homes. There has been an improvement in their lives and in the health of community members.”
Kabagenyi Scovia visits village health club member, Aramanazani Grace, who has eight young grandchildren that live with her.
“I got the idea to build a latrine from the VHTs and the health club, to improve hygiene and avoid flies. Before, the younger children would get sick from diarrhoea a lot – maybe three times per month one of them would get sick. Now there is very little diarrhoea
The club has started a credit and savings initiative where each member makes a voluntary contribution of 1,500 shillings three times per month. So far, 170,000 shillings have been saved up from which non-members can borrow with interest, and club members get interest free loans and assistance.
Bamukuraki Joyce borrowed 50,000 shillings to buy fish from the local fishermen to smoke and sell at the market.
As a village health club non-member, she paid back the loan with interest (10,000 shillings) after one week. “I made a profit of 40,000 shillings, which helped me with my children.”
In August, three-year-ol Amalaho Gifty came down with severe malaria and anaemia. Her condition was too severe for the local health centre to treat, and she was referred to Hoima Hospital, which is about 70km away. Her mother, Atura Jane, didn’t have enough money for the transport. “I was very worried about going to Hoima; I didn’t know how to get there, and I was fearing Gifty could die on the way because it is so far.”
Jane received 20,000 shillings from the emergency fund to help with the transport costs. Gifty got there in time and recovered after three days. ”I was so pleased when the club helped me with the transport. Now that I know the money is there, I feel relieved in case I ever need it again.”
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In Uganda, Malaria Consortium’s inSCALE project has been training community health workers to facilitate village health clubs in their communities.
In Kigungu, a small fishing village on the shores of Lake Albert two community health workers - Kabagenyi Scovia and Kiiza Langton - are facilitating a village health club called ‘Collective Voice’.
Village health club meetings provide a forum where community health workers and community members can work together to identify child health challenges. The clubs put community assets - such as village networks, personal experience, local knowledge and creativity - at the centre of local efforts to improve child health.
As part of the "Collective Voice" club in Kigungu, the community members are running a credit and savings initiative to support potential medical expenses and other development activities in the community.
