By Hannah Marion Namukasa
St. Raphael healthy foundation has initiated two inclusive projects that aim at transforming the community through uplifting lives of persons with hearing impairment.
The initiated projects include recruiting and medically train persons with hearing impairments to become certified midwives and nurses that we deploy in clinics and hospitals to deliver midwifery and nursing services. Hence acquiring employment opportunities for themselves and securing the lives of the clients from sickness and death. St. Raphael also conduct health community outreach programs in deep remote marginalized communities where there certified nurses and midwives provide first aid treatment to the pregnant mothers and the sick people before referring them to hospitals and clinics for further treatment.
According to St. Raphael Healthy foundation a community centered foundation focusing on community empowerment, sexual Reproductive Health and Rights, gender based violence, livelihood, health policies, HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention directors led by Fr. Kiibi Deogratius, Mukose Andrew, Nassuna Angellah, Nalinnya Leticia, Nakijjoba Sylivia, The project aims at reducing poverty and increasing the employability of persons with hearing impairment.
The team says they intend to offer training to persons with hearing impairment on coffee value and supply chain, and encourage them to become innovators in the coffee industry. they also purchase coffee from the persons with hearing impairment at fair trade prices and continue to invest partial profits from our roasted coffee into their community coffee projects with the aim of empowering persons with hearing impairment in rural Uganda by using coffee as a tool for community transformation.
St. Raphael healthy foundation also says they have adopted sexual reproductive health and HIV/AIDs targeting specifically youth as most of the youths are being affected by reproductive health challenges and HIV/AIDS largely due to inadequate information. Therefore they organize dialogues, community and school outreaches, where they sensitize, educate and equip youth with all information about Sexual reproductive health and HIV/Aids.
‘’We also provide them services like HIV/Aids testing, Counseling and guidance. Educate them about the use of condoms and also provide them condoms. Teenagers are also educated about to respect their body and behavioral change regarding sexual reproductive health in communities and we use taglines like “My body, My life, My choice”. We foster a supportive environment for young people to empower them with knowledge and skills to understand their sexuality”, says Fr. Kiibi Deogratius.
In the same way, St. Raphael Intends to advocate for consumer- friendly health laws and policies at the district and the nation.
“We believe in a just and fair society in which all Ugandans can exercise their health rights and health responsibilities.We organize community and school outreaches. The objective of the outreaches is to empower, educate and enable health care consumers in secondary schools and institutions of higher learning to know and demand for the health rights and be in position to exercise their health responsibilities with emphasis on access to essential medicines rational use of medicines. These rights include; Rights to Health care, Right to access essential medicines, right to access information, right to choose, right to privacy and confidentiality, Right to participation and representation, right to respect for human dignity, right to complaint and redress”, says Fr. Kiibi Deogratius.
St Raphael health foundation is a non-governmental organization established in 2019 and duly registered with the national bureau of NGO’s in 2019 located in Mpigi district Kitojjo Buyaaya Village. It is mandated to implement activities aiming at improving people’s access to quality health care services in the community.
