Kyebe Maternity Clinic Project Update - January 2024
Our Visit to the Facility
Today we (members of Rotary Club of Albert Park, Rotary Club of Konge-Lukuli and team members from Winds of Hope, a Ugandan healthcare NGO) visited the Kyebe Maternity Clinic, in the Kyotera District of south-western Uganda.
After a 5 hour drive from Kampala (the capital of Uganda), we were met by community leaders and representatives of the clinc (including the midwife-on-duty).
We toured the facility, including the main Maternity Ward and other buildings, to learn more about the current state of the facility and it’s needs.
We spent a number of hours with the community leaders and midwife learning more about the challenges of the facility, their current and future needs, and starting the conversation about specific renovation goals and timelines.
Community Discussions
We were very lucky to spent time with members of the community and one of the local mid-wives.
The midwife explained that currently she’s deliverying around 20 babies per month, with many being turned away or referred elsewhere due to complications. With a renovated and repaired facility, the number of locally-delivered babies is likely to increase substationally.
Our intent is to utilize as many local community members as possible to help with renovations - this will provide a valuable source of employment (albeit not necessarily long-term) for the impoverished community.
Planned Renovations
This project intends to improve the facility by concentrating mainly on the Maternity Ward that lacks most of the basic requirements for a functional maternity ward.
We inspected the facility in details, including structural aspects, the equipment being used and (lack of) consumable items.
Structurally, there are many issues that need addressing through renovation or reconstruction. These include:
Many broken/missing windows
Internal walls deteriorating
Resizing the delivery & examination rooms
Ceiling collapse from a large tree that fell many years ago
Repairs to rainwater tank
Old/worn mattresses and beds - these will be replacede by sourcing new items from the local community and traders,
As we progress throughout 2024, we’ll provide more detailed updates on progress, plans and activities on site.
A number of fundraising events are planned to be held both in Uganda and Australia to continue towards our ultimate goal for the project.
Accessing Kyebe
We’ve learnt in the past that access to the village of Kyebe and the clinic are cut off during the ‘wet season’ in Uganda, with the only road in (pictured) being flooded for weeks and months on end.
During the floods, even the bridge shown is completely submerged, causing residents to be isolated until waters subside.
This poses a significant difficulty for delivering supplies and consumables to the village.
Next Steps
Working closely together, members of the Rotary Club of Albert Park (Australia) and the Rotary Club of Konge-Lukuli (Uganda) will be creating a plan to start renovations as well as continue with fundraising in 2024.
More updates will follow in coming weeks and months, including budgets and project plans.
Thank-you
A huge thank-you to PP Peter Lusembo and his colleagues from the Rotary Club of Konge-Lukuli for taking us on the journey to Kyebe and providing very generous hospitality throughout the day.
How Can You Help?
Learn more about the project and how your Rotary Club can help us here.