Huys Link Community Initiative

IHarmony, we Reach out to the World!

Huys Link Community Initiative  (HUYSLINCI), with support from Canadian Feed the Children (CFTC) and guidance from the Government of Uganda, has since 2010 worked towards improving the quality of education in Wakiso District and beyond. Of the things we do in specific schools; we sensitize parents and communities on the importance of education, jointly with parents offer scholastic materials to poor-to-do children to ensure retention and completion;  meet school development requirements in the form of refurbishing and constructing classroom blocks, installation of water harvesting and purification systems, building toilet and kitchen facilities, stock school libraries, enhance school reading and writers clubs, support MDD with kits, support games and sports activities, reinstated handwork sessions, support the school feeding and gardening programmes, build teacher capacities in different competencies e.g. diversity management and OVC handling, build the capacity of school management committees (SMCs),  do household level livelihoods empowerment and offer seed support,  promote self-help groups like VSLAs, promote menstrual health and sexual reproductive health and rights, do campaigns on land rights and land management, among other things.

The project is benefiting over 4,800 children in six (7) partner primary schools i.e. Entebbe UMEA, Nkumba Quran, St. Luke Nkumba, St. Kizito Mpala, St. Paul Bulega, St. Joseph Katabi and Bugiri Public; and 3 secondary schools -Entebbe Airforce, Kitala, and Entebbe Kings.


Generally, the project is intended to:


  1. Improve Food Security and Nutrition
  2. Increase Income, Savings and Assets in the target communities
  3. Improve Educational Performance and Outcomes
  4. Improve Health, with a focus on Sexual and Reproductive health
  5. Enhance HUYSLINCI's capacity to deliver Program Outcomes and Impact

Thanks to Canadian Feed the Children for making all this possible.


HUYSLINCI collaborates with Mildmay Uganda to close the gap in coverage of HIV treatment services between adults and pediatrics infected with HIV and  accelerate the journey to the elimination of pediatric HIV as well as achieving universal pediatric treatment.


The project is implemented in Nsangi Sub County and, Kira and Makindye Ssabagabo Municipalities of Wakiso District. HUYSLINCI’s role is to identify, link, follow-up and ensure retention of children and adolescents living with HIV on care and treatment in the said areas. We work with area health centres to which we refer children and adolescents for HIV counseling, testing, care and treatment as cases may be found.


Bravo to Mildmay Uganda for the trust in us and commitment to make life enjoyable to Ugandans.


In May 2020, Huys Link Community Initiative (HUYSLINCI) secured a fundamental grant from the Rotary Club of Roosendaal Donkenland -Netherlands to implement a project titled: “Promoting effective Nutrition Education, Communication and Support for Sustainable Maternal and Child Health in Nkumba Parish - Katabi Town Council”.

Brief Description of Project:            

One of Rotary International’s focus areas is saving the lives of mothers and children and this concurs with Sustainable Development Goal 3.

 

Uganda's Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) has consistently been one of the highest on the African Continent and in the world with 440 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to Unicef's latest data. In Uganda, one woman out of every 49 will die of a maternal complication related to pregnancy or delivery.

 

Maternal and child health (MCH) consists of an interdependent reproductive system that collectively determines the survival of the mother during childbirth, and determines the health and survival of the child. The medical causes of Maternal Mortality include infections, hypertensive disorders, obstructed labour, and complications from unsafe abortions. Other women die as a result of medical conditions that are aggravated by pregnancy or delivery, such as malaria, anemia and severe bleeding, HIV, and cardiovascular disease.

 

The nutritional status of women/mothers at the time of conception and during pregnancy is major determinants of the pregnancy outcome as evidenced by the health, growth and development of the fetus and the newborn. Mothers therefore require nutrients like folate, iodine, iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, sodium, sulphur, zinc, vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5 and D right from their pre-conception time to prevent such problems like neural tube defects, cretinism or physical deformities of the baby, intrauterine growth restriction, infections and preterm /premature birth.

 

According to Dr. Moses Muwanga, the medical superintendent of Entebbe Referral hospital (the biggest hospital in Wakiso District), most mothers report late for antenatal care and so, receive late guidance on how to care for themselves and their unborn babies. He affirms that most deliveries happen when mothers are anemic and weak and thus, produce generally weak and premature children. This points to the poor nutrition of mothers, a matter that HUYSLINCI sought to address.

 

Project Objectives:

  1. Mobilize and train village health teams (VHT) in delivering effective nutritional training to their community members. The training (TOT)  shall include among other things: correcting the wrong beliefs about nutrition, nutrition for mothers and children, VHT role as leaders in promoting nutrition in their respective communities, the functions and food sources of nutrients, micro and macronutrient deficiencies, growing and sustainably maintaining kitchen and fruit gardens, etc.
  2. Support each of the 6 village health teams that form Nkumba ward/parish to establish a demonstration kitchen and fruit garden. (Each village has a team of 4 members. There are 6 villages in Nkumba Parish, Katabi Town Council)
  3. Link the trained VHTs to the public health facilities in Katabi Town Council and equip each team with a register to Identify, train, follow-up, monitor and track all intending and pregnant mothers in regard to nutrition.
https://www.huyslinci.org