Buwunga – Uganda

A House for first aid and books – the combination of a hospital ward and a library under one roof is the result of the lack of health care and literature in Buwunga. The goal is to improve medical care and literacy of the population.

Just three hours by car separate Buwunga from the capital city of Uganda, Kampala. Nevertheless, Buwunga is almost completely cut off from civilization. Drinking water is gathered from the unclean Lake Victoria, and finding a doctor, a job, or even electricity is impossible. The 3000 inhabitants are happy that a local school has recently been built. Now they are looking forward to the construction of a small house, which the Victoria Nile Foundation is building with the support of Help Alliance.

In this house, a nurse will offer basic medical care, for example tending small cuts and burns to prevent large infections from breaking out. Additionally, early treatment of infectious diseases will help prevent them from spreading and therefore improve the state of health of the population. The nurse’s salary will be covered by a small fee for each consultation. This fee will amount to less money than a trip to the capital combined with a doctor’s visit, and the medication will be sponsored by a relief organization. For these reasons this health care model is seen as affordable and sustainable.

Additionally, the house will accommodate a library, bringing books to the region for the first time. The books were collected by the founders of the Victoria Nile Foundation in New Zealand, shipped to Uganda and are waiting for a “new home”. The books also include whole sets of schoolbooks for students which can be lent to the school in Buwunga and others nearby. Beyond that, the library is open to the public and offers residents the possibility to practice and improve their newly acquired reading skills after leaving the school.

The construction of the house including library furniture will take about 6 months. During this time, cataloging of the books and training of a local group of women who are to run the library will begin.