Kisoboka – Uganda Outreach
Kiso-what?
Kisoboka is Luganda (the most widely spoken language, apart from English) for “it is possible”.
[Jesus looked to them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” – Matthew 19:26]
Kisoboka is a team comprised of UT Health San Antonio medical students and faculty that are passionate about serving the people of rural Uganda. Our mission is to glorify God and uphold the values, goals, and knowledge promoted by UT Health SA and the CMHE Global Health curriculum through our partnerships in Uganda and the patients and communities that we serve. Following a successful pilot trip in Summer 2016, Kisoboka was officially added to the roster of CMHE-sponsored global health trips as a longitudinal site. Kisoboka’s vision is to send a medical team to Uganda each summer for 3-4 weeks to collaborate with our international partners and create sustainable healthcare solutions for the community via clinical, research, and community-based initiatives.
Masaka
Our primary partnership in Masaka is US2Uganda4Life, a nonprofit organization that supports and manages Kalungi Medical Clinic (“Kalungi”) and Jireh Children’s Center. Our team spends the majority of it’s time working with the medical staff who provide medical services to the rural population of the Kalungu District (pop. 150,000). Our days at Kalungi are spent doing a variety of different activities, including, but not limited to:
- Teaching at the Kalungi School of Nursing and Midwifery, which currently enrolls over 200 students
- Working and training in the outpatient center and inpatient hospital wards
- Performing focused laboratory tests under the guidance of a trained technician
- Engaging with the local Village Health Team leaders to discuss issues regarding community health and potential outreach platforms
Gulu
Our primary partner in Gulu is Women’s Empowerment Network Design (WEND), a non-profit organization spearheaded by Jolly Oket, and Invisble Children. Through our relationship with Jolly, we have established connections with the District Health Office (DHO), and have personally met with district chairs and clinical officers that have enthusiastically agreed to partner with us on future projects. In line with their guidance and expressed needs, our key areas of focus are Nodding Syndrome and malaria.
Nodding Syndrome is a rare, geographically isolated disease that affects children and adolescents. The symptoms of this condition exist on a spectrum, but many patients suffer from a combination of debilitating seizures, developmental delay, mental regression, and malnutrition.
Malaria has a profound prevalence in Gulu (pop. 500,000). Per the DHO, on any given day 8 out of 10 citizens “just walking down the street” would have quantifiable parasitemia. From May 2015 to May 2016 alone, there were 470,000 reported cases over the year, with over 18,000 new cases each week.
Accommodations
Masaka: Banda Hotel
Gulu: Host home
Past and Current Faculty Mentors:
Dr. Nurani Kester
Dr. Jordan Abel