Please read more about Nodding Syndrome (NS) on the next page in News Article.
We are providing emergency rescue services to reduce the effect of seizures and prevent death from burns. Empowering families with cows and plough for digging their own land for food. Providing relief emergency food for starving victims. We have established a feeding program in two schools feeding 750 children.
Currently, we have placed our Village Health Workers (VHWs) in each sub counties in Kitgum district keeping a close eye on the Victims of NS families as part of surveillance to reduce accidental deaths. The VHWs visit the victims of NS families daily in their homes. Having a reliable phone to assist our field worker is always important to contact the victims and the ambulance service. Currently, all our VHWs use a bicycle to travel 80km a day to conduct surveillance of the victims of Nodding Syndrome. Heavy tropical rain and poor road make their work particularly challenging.
We have discovered that the local public hospital is not capable to provide wound care especially for the burnt victims of NS. Wounds are often left unattended and become further infected, as the hospital simply does not even have a bandage to dress the wounds. Hence Acholi Resilience has now made an agreement with a private clinic Yotcom (run by an Australian doctor) to take our burn victims directly to the clinic for wound care. The cost is much higher, but the standard of care and results are worth it.
Emergency rescue
During extended periods of seizures, if medical attention is not received by the victims of Nodding Syndrome it become fatal. They often have serious burns, which need to be attended to as soon as possible. Since we implemented the emergency rescue services, it reduced the rate of deaths. Acholi Resilience has a field worker in each sub counties in Kitgum district keeping a close eye on the Victims of NS and their families. The field workers regularly visit the victim of NS families in their homes. The monthly cost of $200 for each field worker. A reliable phone is required for emergency operation for each VHWs and for monitoring of the NS. Monthly cost for having a phone is $20. Acholi Resilience also has an ambulance driver who is employed fulltime at cost of $100 per month.
Our field workers use pushbikes, which can be quite unpractical as a lot of the families are spread out 40-60kms.
Emergency Food
Acholi Resilience provides emergency food parcels for the Nodding Syndrome families as our fieldworkers inform us of pressing needs. We would love to be able to provide more food as the need is immense, especially during dry season or drought. Currently, there is no support for the victims of Nodding Syndrome (NS) from any NGOs and a limited support from the government of Uganda.The government of Uganda’s attempts to support the victims of Nodding Syndrome was hampered by corruption and limited funds; hence innocent victims of Nodding Syndrome are starving to death. Therefore, there is an urgent need for food security and services for the victims NS.
Empowering Families with Plows and Bulls
Acholi Resilience continues to purchase plows and bulls to support families with children suffering from Nodding Syndrome. Below are some of the wonderful success stories of our project. These families are no longer starving and their children are able to attend school.
A bull cost $400, a plow cost $150. We normally provide a plow, a cow and two bulls, serving an entire community of families (five households of at least 5 to 8 children)
Building homes for neglected homeless victims of Nodding Syndrome
Acholi Resilience also aims to provide respite centres to all the victims of NS, and group homes. The victims of NS can only be supported and cared for with dignity in a Supported Independent Living accommodation. We need $450,000 to house 20 victim of NS.
