LEBMC Initiatives for Disadvantaged Children in Africa

  • US$0.00
    raised of $30,000.00 goal goal
0% Funded
0 Donors
Help this ongoing fundraising campaign by making a donation and spreading the word.
Show more
Show less

Dear Friends

LEBMC is "Life and Education Beyond my Culture." LEBMC foundation based in Northern Uganda, a region that suffered a long spelt of LRA brutal war is the true reflection of Africa’s beauty and struggle for a better life. In a view of a new form of human life, guided by a common aspiration, LEBMC through its modest actions commits its resources and expertise towards the formation of a generation that looks beyond the horizons. LEBMC seeks to raise fund to build a health centre blocks to assist respond to health problems in Akwang Subcounty, Kitgum District, uganda, East africa

NODDING DISEASE

The emergence of the mysterious “Nodding Disease” in northern Uganda in the aftermath of the LRA war has left every one pondering the future as far as health is concern.  It's like a second war as termed by the affected families in northern Uganda. While adults recover from the terrors of a 20 year-long civil war, more and more children are suffering from the mysterious illness. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), some 3,000 children have been affected in Uganda, of who several hundred have died. The sufferers are affected by seizures, including repeated nodding, hence the name. If the illness gets worse, children remain physically and mentally impaired and eventually become so weak, without ability to eat and finally death.

Succeeding the last fourteen years of the armed conflict that affected the civilian populations in Akwang Sub - County, that predominantly have been children and women, this illness loosely known as the ‘Nodding disease’ has invaded the people of this sub-county with almost every family registering a case or two of the suffering family children and has left scientist puzzled for with the cause and solution to this disease.

Akwang Sub-County is one of the ten Sub-Counties in Kitgum district. Its headquarters are about 9 km from Kitgum town. The Sub-County is bordered by Palabek Gem Sub-County to the west, Padibe West in the north-west and Padibe East from the north.  Akwang Sub-County has three parishes: Lamit, Pajimo and Lugwar, all of which are divided into 21 villages. The approximate population of Akwang is about 17,450 people with about 00 households. Out of these household, LE – BMC foundation has identified _ _ households who have been affected by this disease, with about 00 families registering more than a case. Faced with other major challenges such as HIV/AIDS pandemic, acute poverty, nutritional challenges, poor water sources and insufficient medical services, the future for these households as far as healthy is concern remains in uncertainty and constant despair.

In their state, the victims of nodding disease are generally considered liabilities to the communities and because of frustration and the pain of seeing their misery, what these children do and where they go is no bodies concern. Because of this victims of nodding disease have often died by water and fire, while others die in the bush. Coupled to this, there has also been a widespread abuse and defilement of girls suffering from nodding disease by community members, who take advantage of their mental state.

HIV/AIDS

Akwang Sub – county records one of the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence in Kitgum district. LEBMC Foundation has identified through an HIV/AIDS impact assessment study of Akwang Sub – County the following categories of families: Child headed families, families with HIV/AIDS affected children, families with children under the care grandparents and those with children under the cares of widows. The study also reveals these are usually families with one or both parents lost either in the war or Died of HIV/AIDS. The pandemic according to what LEBMC found out in Akwang also magnifies the impact both of malaria and nodding disease for the case of individual child or adult battling with the two cases at the same time thus their chances of surviving death is often minimal, in spite the treatment.

 REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

One other key issue in is reproductive health. Government intervention for instance has been witnessed through the Family Planning Association of Uganda that was established in 1957 to promote family planning particularly modern methods of contraception but even with the presence of this institution in this already affected sub - county, maternal health i.e. safe pregnancy, child birth, and motherhood have remained big challenges. The high ignorance of men in planned parenthood by far has had a remarkable implication on societal life with major latest impacts being gender based violence, population explosion, increased new HIV/AIDS infections to mention but a few.

MALARIA

Malaria in this sub - county remains the leading cause of mortality in mothers and in children less than five years of age, with more than 90% of Uganda’s population resides in malaria-prone areas, exposing a high number of pregnant women and their unborn babies to risk of infection from malaria. Uganda according a recent report by World Health organization holds the world’s highest malaria incidences, accounting for over 40% out patience visit, 25% of hospital admission and 14% of hospital death. Annually malaria kills between 70,000 to 100,000 children in Uganda, a rate slightly higher than for death by HIV/AIDS. Because of its geopolitical location which is rather remote, Akwang and the neighboring Sub – counties, have faced challenges in combating malaria. For instance the distance between Kitgum General Hospital and the remotest village in Akwang is over 20Kilometers. This coupled with acute poverty, poor transport means would mean the chances of one surviving from Malarial attack for patience in transit is always minimal and this worsens with pregnant mothers and children less than five years.

 

Organizer

No updates for this campaign just yet

Followers

0 followers
No Followers Just Yet...
US$0.00
raised of $30,000.00 goal
0% Funded
0 Donors

Help this ongoing fundraising campaign by making a donation and spreading the word.

Not Ready to Donate?

Did you know a 10 second Facebook share raises an average of $25?

Share on Facebook