Naama Community Health Collaboration

Faculty:

Countries:

Collaborators:

  • Naama Millennium Preparatory School

End Date:

  • Ongoing

Naama Community Health Collaboration

In 2008, the Naama community and a group of Duke students and faculty partnered to form the Naama Community Health Collaboration. Naama is located in the Mityana District of Uganda, about 100 kilometers away from the capital city of Kampala. The community mainly survives on subsistence farming, with some fishing and petty trade. Each year, the Duke community works with Naama to advance community health and development goals. The ongoing work throughout the year is propagated by a student led on ground collaborative experience. Over the course of each academic year, the team works with faculty and community partners of NCHC to review the initiatives of the past summer and identify new areas for improvement. Key issues that emerge from discussions have been experience of the dying and chronically ill in Naama, role of traditional medicine, water and sanitation, maternal health, nutrition of children, assessment of how an emergency medical system could be set up, and communication and collaboration among local organizations. Developed projects ask core questions for each community identified issue. Some general question areas are: 1. Palliative Care and Traditonal Medicine a. What are palliative care needs in Naama? b. What is the role of traditional medicine and support in the health care of the community? 2. Water and Sanitation a. What are water and sanitation practices and needs in the community? 3. Maternal health, Nutrition, and Emergency Medical System a. What are challenges mothers face before, during, and after pregnancy in Naama? 4. What is the on-going nutritional status and needs of children in Naama community? a. What are the rates of Malaria, Anemia and Worm infections in school-aged children 5. How integrated are local nonprofit organizations in the Mityana area and what are mechanisms for coordinating efforts across agencies?

We work with local health professionals and agencies to develop service and research priorities and provide information that helps them and the community set education needs and agendas.

Last updated on January 10, 2018