Background
The Bunabumali Health Education Centre is a building that will be constructed on site at Bunabumali Good Samaritan Orphan and Needy Project in Bubiita Sub-County, Bududa District in eastern Uganda.
Currently, the project operates a primary school that serves approximately 220 students in nursery school and primary school grades 1-7 (P1-P7). The school serves orphans and vulnerable children within Bubiita Sub-County. Many of these children live in precarious situations at home, while many others live with relatives or neighbours who have agreed to care for the children as they are growing up.
In addition to the social challenges that these students face, many students also experience significant difficulties in accessing high-quality health care services and health education. Preventive health practices in Bududa are limited, and as a result many individuals within the district frequently contract diseases preventable through vaccination, good nutrition, good hygiene practices, or adoption of other preventive health behaviours. Individuals with chronic diseases or unusual conditions face additional challenges finding specialists to manage their conditions. All of these issues are complicated by the low quality of health education within the district, and the resultant lack of accurate health information regarding disease prevention and management.
Unsurprisingly, the burden of disease disproportionately affects children, and especially orphans and children living in vulnerable situations. In Bududa, these children frequently do not have access to health care, nor do they have access to information that could help them to learn important information about protecting their health.
The Bunabumali Good Samaritan Orphan and Needy Project is located approximately 3 km from the main road that goes around Bududa District and approximately 5 km away from the nearest health centres. The two nearest health centres are Bukalasi Health Centre III and Bukigai Health Centre IV; both are government owned and operated health facilities with inpatient facilities and a range of treatment options for patients.
The spectrum of health problems that affect students at Bunabumali are typical of school-aged children everywhere. The school hosts students between the ages of 3-18; as a result it is expected over the course of the year that a number of students will develop the minor injuries, colds, and infections associated with childhood growth and development. A small proportion of students have chronic conditions, such as asthma or allergies, that cause no immediate danger most of the time but do require some degree of monitoring.
