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13 Dec07:09am

PACE AT THE 2022 ASTMH GENERAL MEETING IN SEATTLE, USA

Between 30^th to 3^rd November 2022, PACE was physically represented at the 2022 American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) annual meeting. This follows the 2 years of Virtual engagements of the annual that were caused by COVID 19 restriction.

PACE was represented by Kato Joel the research officer in the 4-day Meeting in Seattle, USA. At the event, he interacted with several Tropical medicine and Global health professionals representing academia, foundations, government, not for profit organizations, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, military and private practice and showcased our malaria work in Uganda. Unlike the 2021, conference where our research team attended the meeting virtually due to the COVID-19 restrictions, the 2022 it was different as both virtual and physical presence was accorded. We are grateful to the Ministry of Health Uganda, National Malaria Control Division (NMCD) that provided us space at their stall to exhibit our malaria research and programs.
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On the on the 2nd of November, Joel held a poster presentation where he disseminated findings on Community Health worker (VHT) service readiness in provision of Integrated Community Case Management (iCCM) services among children under 5 years in Uganda.

Findings presented were from the 2020 iCCM study that PACE conducted across all regions in Uganda. The study was funded by the Global Fund through the Ministry of Health. It was conducted in coordination with national iCCM stakeholders including the Uganda National Malaria Control Division (NMCD), Maternal and Child Health Division and relevant district officials in the selected districts such as DHOs, iCCM District Coordinators and the In-charges of the Health Facilities.

The main objective of the study was to understand the implementation of the Integrated Community Case Management intervention (iCCM), its dynamics and processes for integration and coordination. It is worth noting that the study results were used to inform the review of the iCCM implementation guidelines by the Uganda MoH National Malaria Control Division (NMCD). Summary findings of the iCCM study can be found at https://pace.org.ug/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ICCM-Study-Findings_MoH-11-Jan-2021-2.pdf

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01 Nov21:42pm

PACE Uganda holds graduation ceremony for 1,396 AGYW in Northern and Eastern Uganda

Between 24^th to 28^th October 2022, PACE Uganda held graduation ceremonies for 1,396 adolescent Girls and Young women (AGYW) from Mbale, Kitgum and Dokolo districts in Uganda. The functions were officiated by the Resident District Commissioners of each of the 3 districts and were attended by dignitaries from the Ministry of Health, Uganda AIDS Commission, TASO, District Local Government, Training institutions, the Global Fund Country Coordinating Mechanism, parents/caregivers and partners of the graduands.

The AGYWs benefitted from the Global Fund New Funding Model 2 and 3 grants to PACE through The AIDS Support Organization (TASO). The AGYWs received certificates in hair dressing, Tailoring, Knitting, Building, Welding, Bakery, Catering, Shoe making. A second life given to young girls and women who dropped out of school due to life challenges including early pregnancies, poverty and child neglect.

As an organization, the young people are at the fore front in all our HIV/TB, maternal health, Malaria, and Water Sanitation programs as they make up over 75% of Uganda’s population. Through youth/young people education, engagement, innovation and entrepreneurial solutions, PACE provides a platform for young people across Uganda to continue the momentum to address the structural drivers of HIV including poverty and Gender Based Violence.

As guided by the National HIV strategic plan, with resources from the Global Fund, an age-appropriate comprehensive HIV prevention package was provided to the AGYW. The package included SBCC/SRHR messages and a vocational program comprising market oriented and financial literacy skills.

The program has materialized with each of graduating AGYW receiving a startup kit (Sustainability kit) to start a new life. A program that PACE has implemented for the last 4 years has registered significant success with girls and women being employed, starting up their own businesses, joining savings schemes, are independently supporting their families, practicing safer healthy behavior, and walking the talk by sharing this information with their peers and partners. Through their mentors and peers, we are encouraging them to remain safe and for those found HIV positive, are being followed up to live positively.

We will continue to provide SBCC HIV prevention packages to 11,616 AGYWs and equip 4,692 of them with economic skills. Working with several stakeholders, we are committed to ending the HIV epidemic in Uganda.

We are grateful to the partners across the country that have enabled us to deliver a comprehensive HIV/TB/SRH/Malaria package to our AGYW and other beneficiaries. Our appreciation also goes to the District Local governments, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social development, for creating an enabling environment for us to ensure quality services to the vulnerable young girls and women.

Press release: https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/education/youth-skilling-over-1000-adolescent-school-dr-146333

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16 Aug15:25pm

PACE and Engineers Without Boarders (EWB) disseminate WASH Assessment Results

On Thursday 30^th June 2022, a dissemination workshop was held at hotel Africana bringing together a wide range of stakeholders including officials from Ministry of Health, Ministry of Water and Environment, Parliament of Uganda, District local governments, PNFP health care facilities administrators, civil society organizations, media and private sector among others. The workshop included presentation of WASH assessment findings and recommendations for the improvement of WASH in PNFPs.

The private not for profit health care facilities play a significant role in health care service provision in Uganda. They are primarily run by faith based organizations that is the catholic, protestant and Muslim medical bureaus. Engineers without borders – Uganda country office partnered with PACE Uganda, Uganda Catholic medical bureau and Uganda protestant medical bureau to conduct a WASH assessment aimed at identifying and analyzing the current status of WASH in the health facilities and design appropriate WASH interventions.

During the dissemination workshop, it was noted that a multi sectoral approach is critical to achieving a comprehensive investment in WASH across health care facilities. Also, capacity building in social behavior change and maintenance of available WASH facilities was emphasized.

The guest of honor State minister for Health in charge of general duties Hon. Bangirana Kawooya Anifa was represented by Dr. Daniel J. Kyabayinze Director Public Health who invited the PACE and EWB to widely disseminate the WASH findings and influence policy and WASH funding.

In his closing remarks, Mr. Joseph Epitu – Assistant Commissioner Sector Capacity Development in Ministry of Water and environment called upon the line ministries and private sector to work together towards improvement of WASH in health care facilities. He also encouraged private not for profit health facilities to keep a close relationship with the government to receive support.

Watch the entire proceedings of this workshop on youtube https://youtu.be/orRJcmwFG_g

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10 Jun06:28am

PACE Uganda participates in the 7th Buganda Women’s convention

PACE participated in the 7^th Buganda Women’s convention (Ttabamiruka W’abakyala mu Buganda) held on 13^th May 2022 in Lubiri Mengo. The Women convention was organized under the theme “Holistic Women’s Health: A boost to Innovation and Sustainable Development. The Annual event was graced by His Royal Highness Ronald Muwenda Mutebi 11 and Queen Nnabagereka Sylivia Nagginda as the chief guest and the Prime Minister of Uganda Rt.Hon Robinah Nabanjja as a distinguished guest from central government.

Under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Nnabagereka Sylivia Nagginda, PACE contributes towards enhancing the Universal Health Coverage and attainment of sustainable development in Uganda as enshrined in our 2021 -2023 strategic plan. A holistic approach to womens’ health certainly derives empowered communities and better livelihoods.

For over 10 years, PACE has championed innovative community led health interventions in Uganda in the areas of malaria, TB, HIV and WASH (Water Sanitation and Hygiene ) improving the livelihoods of people. During the convention, we exhibited some products and services that we offer to SARA including the novel safe drinking water product (Solarsack) which uses the Ultraviolet rays of the sun to purify drinking water and Clean Delivery Kits (Maama Kits).

Different dignitaries from the central government of Uganda, UN agencies, Civil Society Organization, local government, private sector players and the Buganda kingdom communities attended this event that heighten advocacy women health and economic empowerment.

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01 Jun18:48pm

PACE exhibits the solar sack at the Buganda environment week 2022

PACE was privileged to participate in the two days Buganda Environment week exhibition at Lubiri Mengo which ran under the global theme; “only one earth, focus on sustainably living with nature”. This event brought together different stakeholder involved crafting innovative solutions towards the use of sustainable energy to address increased climate change problems.

We showcased our new product on market, the solar sack which uses an improved version of the Solar Water Disinfection (SODIS) method to purify water. This method was approved and endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF as a safe water purification method. Solar Sack users can have up to four liters of safe drinking water in 4 hours without burning any fuel or charcoal.

This exhibition was honored by the Katikkiro of Buganda Owekitibwa Charles Peter Mayiga who inspected the PACE stall and appreciated the Solar Sack water purification container.

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23 Apr18:07pm

PACE -The World Malaria Day Scientific Conference

PACE participated the two days World Malaria Day Scientific Conference held at Hotel African on oxandrolone cost 21 to 22 April, 2022.

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23 Apr13:33pm

Uganda: PACE at the 1st TB Marathon

13, March 2022, PACE participated in the first ever TB Marathon in Uganda. The event was aimed at creating awareness on TB a head of the World TB Day. The event was organized by the MOH and Uganda Stop TB Partnership. The resources mobilized were to support in the construction of the TB Isolation Unit at Iganga Hospital.

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17 Dec07:43am

Empowering community systems to return clients to care

When Anita Nalule (not real name) tested positive for HIV, she was distraught. “I wondered if I could hang myself. I returned home and went to bed because my head was not working properly.”

It was a difficult and painful period for Anita and she took a long time to start taking the anti-retroviral treatment she was given as she battled with her acceptance of the diagnosis combined with a fear of taking medication. At the clinic after getting her diagnosis, Anita had put the drugs in her bag and left them. Eventually, Anita retrieved them and started her treatment course.

“It was a nightmare. The side effects from the medication were unbearable,” she says. Anita was vomiting, dizzy and had what she called “unbearable nausea”. She stopped taking the drugs and decided not to return to the ART clinic.

“My health deteriorated and I was later admitted to hospital. At this point, my CD4 count had reduced to below 250.” But even still, after getting discharged, she would not take the medication.

The hospital where Anita was initiated though is within the network of facilities in the Mubende region that are supported by the CDC-funded Accelerating HIV Epidemic Control project. This 5-year project is implemented by Mildmay Uganda in partnership with Program for Accessible health, Communication and Education (PACE).

When Anita had only made one encounter within a period of 6 months after her initiation on treatment, she was recorded at the facility as a lost-to-follow-up (LTFU) client. The list of these lost clients is generated and given to community resource persons under the project who in turn go into the communities, to follow up and find out what happened to the people who are not coming for treatment.

When the community owned resource person tracked Anita, he found when she was unwell. The two of them talked through her health and the importance of adhering to treatment. They discussed side effects of medication, their management and the possibility of changing treatment course. Anita is now back on treatment and adhering.

Many HIV-positive clients, like Anita, fail to adhere to their treatment for one reason or another, and often extra effort is required to return them to care. The project has worked to identify different ways to support clients who have been lost to the healthcare system. The Community System Strengthening model has community members referred to as community owned resource persons (CORPs) who track patients who have not been to the ART (and TB, for TB patients) clinic for at least 3 months. This is combined with e-referral systems that allow for reminder messaging and follow-up so that clients remember to go to the health facility for their appointments and refills whenever required.

With better adherence and retention of clients, there can be less AIDS-related deaths. To achieve the UNAIDS 95-95-95 goal, this project is making sure that for all those people that have been tested positive, there are immediately linked to ART and when they are linked, they are able to adhere to treatment. Community linkages can play a crucial role in making sure that Uganda reaches the 95-95-95 global goal.

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21 Nov13:28pm

Giving birth to my third child was not a nightmare

After giving birth to each of her first two children, 23-year-old Margaret Nabiddo would bleed uncontrollably. “I would bleed every day, for almost a month,” she says.

Her third delivery was different. While she was pregnant with her third child, Margaret was given a comprehensive clean delivery kit during her last trimester. This maama kit, distributed in communities in a pilot project under the Maverick Collective Project, included misoprostol and chlorhexidine. The two were added to the Ministry of Health – recommended maama kit to reduce on unpreventable maternal health deaths.

Misoprostol, taken after the delivery of the baby (with confirmation that there is no other baby), helps to control postpartum bleeding while the chlorhexidine is used for the care of the newborn’s umbilical cord.

“I got my maama kit from Deo [Village Health Team] who spoke to me about the importance of going for antenatal visits and delivering in a health facility,” the resident of Lwemivubo Village in Kiyuni sub-county, Mubende says. Margaret received her antenatal care from Kiyuni Health Center III.

“When I got into labour, I knew there was no way I could reach the hospital so I decided to carry my kit to the nearer Kakigando Health Center II. After I delivered my baby and the placenta, the midwife gave me the three tablets to put under my tongue.”

Margaret’s bleeding stopped after one week. It was a different experience from her earlier deliveries where she bled for almost a month.

Globally, postpartum haemorrhage (excessive bleeding after childbirth) is the leading cause of maternal deaths. In Uganda, over 24% of maternal deaths are due to uncontrolled bleeding after childbirth. It is recommended that mothers be given oxytocin which helps to limit bleeding by stimulating uterine contractions.

However, oxytocin is difficult to store as it requires refrigeration and therefore near impossible to have available in resource-limited areas. Misoprostol on the other hand, can be stored at room temperature with a shelf life of up to two years, and therefore easy to distribute in remote areas that are less likely to have refrigerators and reliable electricity supply.

The Maverick Collective project in Uganda focused on the availability of the misoprostol to mothers in these settings in order to reduce preventable maternal deaths. The project distributed the pilot comprehensive clean delivery kits in five districts of Uganda, identified alongside Ministry of Health, as those where maternal mortality was relatively higher than national average.

For women like Margaret, the addition of misoprostol made their postpartum experience a more enjoyable and safer period.

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23 Oct08:32am

ULINZI: A condom for the Military

The Directorate for HIV and AIDS under the Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) alongside the Program for Accessible health, Communication and Education (PACE) officially launched the Ulinzi condom this month.

Ulinzi, which means “protection”, is a condom branded specifically for the soldiers in order to scale up HIV prevention amongst the military. The idea, conceived in 2013, was to get a condom with which the military related and therefore was more likely to use consistently. PACE, a health organisation that uses social marketing approaches to measurably improve the health of Ugandans, undertook pre-testing activities that included key informant interviews and focus group discussions before deciding on Ulinzi.

Condoms remain a key intervention in the prevention of HIV, but condom use across the continent has continually gone down.

Following the Presidential Fast-track Initiative on Ending HIV&AIDS in Uganda by 2030, the UPDF has taken additional measures to make sure there are no new infections.

“One of the challenges of the UPDF when it took power in 1986 was HIV. The NRA (as it was known then) were heroes, and money did not matter. There was a lot of excitement and constant celebration but no structured interventions to mitigate the spread of the virus,” Brig. Leo Kyanda, the Chief of Staff for the UPDF Land Forces said at the double launch of the condom and the UPDF HIV Prevention Strategy in Bombo Military Barracks on October 2nd, 2018.

Brig Kyanda speaking at the launch

The PEPFAR-funded project has worked with other partners to enhance the already existing efforts in the army to increase prevention behaviour for soldiers and the military communities. Often, these communities are affected by the mobility of the work, separation from family and the sometimes remoteness of their assigned posts. Constant interface with life-and-death situations may also affect health behaviour.

“We don’t hide,” Brig Kyanda said, complimenting the openness with which the soldiers have dealt with the virus and how it has ensured the ART adherence within the force.

“PACE has joined hands with UPDF to amplify and complement already existing efforts. (…) The Ulinzi condom is not going to be a magic bullet for HIV prevention, of course and should be used alongside other proven strategies,” Phyellister Nakamya, the Executive Director for PACE said.

The condom will be distributed, for free, amongst the military populations and communities around military bases across the country.

As with the rest of the Ugandan population, the force is increasingly young and innovation must be at the center of health solutions to ensure that the country registers no new infections.

Ulinzi in the News:

NTV Uganda: http://www.ntv.co.ug/news/national/UPDF-launches-new-condom-brand/4522324-4788808-li7ax3z/index.html

BBC Africa: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-45746092

Business Focus: http://businessfocus.co.ug/updf-launches-ulinzi-condom-brand/

Standard Media: https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001297884/uganda-s-army-launches-ulinzi-condoms-for-use-by-its-soldiers

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