OUR ACTIVITIES
Taking into account the large distances and bad road conditions in Uganda, TRF works by outreaches. We do this with a team that is specialized in the activities mentioned below. To be able to do these outreaches we need to have an all-terrain vehicle (mobile clinic) that has been specially equipped for this task.
The four (main) activities:
- Education
- Vaccinations
- Offer basic care
- Give advice and where necessary send people to specialized institutes
Education:
A Dutch saying is “To prevent is better than to cure”, and this could very well be more important in Africa than in the western world. Our educational programs are mainly focused on healthcare, but also the secondary aspects will be dealt with. In this context TRF will provide education on good nourishment, breastfeeding, mother- and child care, but also hygiene, family planning and the importance of for example mosquito nets.
Vaccination:
Just like in The Netherlands it is very important for Ugandan children to be vaccinated against a series of (child) diseases. The distance that a lot of women have to travel is either much too far or they are not sufficiently aware of the importance of vaccinations, which means that children are not vaccinated and therefore catch unnecessary diseases, for example, polio or die of measles. To prevent this, TRF wants to create the possibility for mother and child to receive vaccinations in their own region or villages.
Basic care:
By basic care we normally mean lodging, nourishment, medical care and education. Our care restricts itself to not too complicated medical care. This includes treatment of simple infections like upper respiratory tract and malaria, but also cleaning and treatment of wounds and supplying painkillers.
Advice and referral:
Besides general information we give personal advice. If complex problems arise that we won’t be able to treat on the spot, we will ask the patient to contact specialized institutes that can provide the necessary medical care to prevent life threatening situations.