Uganda Community Based Association for Child Welfare recently dialogued with the Uganda Ministry of Health. Below is an update from Alice Kayongo.

I was thrilled when I read the summary of your radio interview on our AIDS work. It clearly communicated our need and desire. I believe it is a huge motivation to our grassroots care givers in the sense that they will be able to see and know that the struggle for recognition of HBC work by grassroots women still continues at international, national and local levels. We need not to give up until a time when we shall have a breakthrough.

I can report that in Uganda, the Ministry of Health has appreciated the work that care givers are contributing towards the HIV/AIDS response. HBC givers are now being recognized and recently, at a meeting of policy makers and implementors within the Ministry, formal ways of recognition agreed upon included;

a) linking HBC givers to social services such as microfinance institutes so they may be able to access loans, linking them to national agricultural advisory services and other social services.

b) training and providing certificates to home based care givers and other community volunteers.

c) provision of bicycles.

d) formal recognition during community meetings and at health facilities where they refer patients.

The most sensitive aspect of this meeting was the agreement on remuneration of HBC givers and other community volunteers. In as much as the entire team at the meeting agreed that there is a high need for remuneration of these actors as a way of increasing their motivation and retention, the most difficult part was on sustainability of this initiative.

As you may already know, Uganda has established a Village Health Team (VHT) strategy (a network of community volunteers established in Uganda to facilitate health promotion and prevention, service delivery, community participation and empowerment in access to and utilization of health services) which is supposed to be operational in all villages. We have lobbied at national level that HBC givers in a given location be made part of the VHTs. Now that the Ministry is aware and cognizant of our desire, we have to move down to do the same at district and community levels (where final decision on selection of VHTs is made) in order for this idea to be widely and seriously accepted. Each VHT must be comprised of 10 people and there are over 1,000 villages in the country. And in addition to these, there are other existing community volunteers not necessarily part of the VHT strategy but are also doing a lot regarding health promotion and prevention and therefore need to be remunerated as well.

As such, the issue of remuneration was recognized but put on halt for some time until a clear strategy on how to implement it is put in place together with sources of funding. — we will keep following this up irrespective of the resources needed to do so.

We shall share the summary from your interview with HBCA focal persons in their next meeting that will bring together UCOBAC and NACWOLA caregivers as they share their experiences and lessons from the recently concluded IAC.

I thank you so much and commend you for the interview you made on behalf of all caregivers world wide especially grassroots women caregivers.

Alice Kanyongo-Uganda Community Based Association for Child Welfare (UCOBAC)