Activity implementation
UGANDA RED CROSS SOCIETY
SOROTI BRANCH
Fourth Quarter Progressive Report
October- December -2009
Introduction
The report explains in detail activities covered during the fourth quarter of 2009. They include home based care and twining activities. The twinning activities were implemented in Kaberamaido sub branch.
Achievements per set objectives
OBJECTIVE: To Enhance The Branch Institutional Capacity For Effective And Efficient Service Delivery Through Facilitating The Governance And Management For Proper Planning And Decision Making, Implementation, Monitoring And Evaluation Of Activities
01: Construction
Ocean One Enterprises that was awarded a contract to construct a hostel completed the work late last year and handed over the building to the branch. The building will act as a source of income for the branch.
02 Support to sub branches
The support supervision to Kaberamaido sub branch focal persons enhanced networking with the district leadership. The Sub Branch had an opportunity to hold a meeting with the chief administrative officer and deputy chief administrative officer where they discussed ways of working together to develop the district.
Serere Sub Branch was provided with a temporal latrine to enable the volunteers and visitors have privacy and improve on the sanitation.
Ten women groups with 234 members were sensitized on the skills of having adequate food at household level. Some groups were selected for seed distribution as one of the measures to reduce food insecurity in Kaberamaido Sub Branch.
Forty youth attended a five-day youth camp to make bricks for the sub branch in a bid to prepare for the construction of the office block. This was also done to enable the branch have the opportunity of lobbying for the resources which are not locally available.
Objective: To mobilize communities for donation of adequate and safe blood through blood donor recruitment campaign counseling and referral
Blood Donor Recruitment
A total of 1,631 units of blood were collected during the quarter above the target of 1000 units. The blood donated will contribute to the reduction of infant and mortality rates which have increased due to scarcity of blood in hospitals. The branch held voluntary counseling and testing sessions through which it counseled 1088 people.
OBJECTIVE: Building community capacity to manage common health emergencies and diseases, enhance road safety and water transport safety
Support First Aid Services
The branch offered First Aid services at celebrations to mark the World AIDS Day. Provision of first aid at the various functions within the branch has increased partnership with Soroti local government through the district health office and the branch has been invited to participate in the district planning process.
Activity; Hang Up- malaria control
The Hang Up project is aimed at promoting the use of long lasting insecticide treated bed nets (LLINS) through community sensitization.
Afford/malaria consortium in partnership with the Ministry of Health and funding from USAID distributed LLINS to households in the seven sub counties of Kaberamaido between November and December 2009. URCS with support from American Red Cross was tasked to ensure that the public realizes the importance of the mosquito nets using its network of volunteers.
A total of 339 volunteers participated in the exercise in the seven sub counties of Kaberamaido Town council, Alwa, Kalaki, Bululu, Ochero, Otuboi, and Kaberamaido. 35,137 nets were distributed. Results from Kaberamaido show that volunteers visited a total of 34,001 households that housed 152,866 people. Of these, 25,387 households had at least one ITN. A total of 46,916 ITNs were registered from the households visited. Of this 30,774 ITNs were found hanging at the time of the visit and 28,029 were hanging the night before the visit. Volunteers were able to help hang 5,826 ITNs (12.4%). 40,184 children under five slept in these households the night before Red Cross visit and of these, 29,387 slept under an ITN. 5,114 pregnant women slept in the households the night before the Red Cross visit and 4,231 of these slept under an ITN.
On top of helping hang ITNs in people’s homes, the volunteers disseminated messages on malaria transmission, treatment and prevention, proper net utilization i.e. how to hang the net, how to wash it, how often to wash it, how to spread it out after washing, what to use while washing the net, and how to mend the net when it gets torn, but emphasis was on the most vulnerable groups of people, that is the children under five and pregnant women.
Flyer distribution
Every household visited was provided with a flyer as a measure to ensure that they keep this message there and also use it as reference when they have any information they need on net utilization.
Objective: Promote Red Cross ideals and principles and IHL through Dissemination of Red Cross information for positive corporate image
Dissemination
Dissemination was conducted mostly in Kaberamaido and Soroti district. An integrated approach was used while carrying out various branch activities.
A total of eighty six (86) sessions were conducted with 1,020 people in attendance. Of these, 600 were male and 520 were female. Red Cross information was shared which resulted into the recruitment of members below.
Membership recruitment
As a result of the intensive dissemination, the image of the society was enhanced and it contributed to increased spirit of voluntarism and members are willing to register.
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Life members’
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Annual members
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Senior youths
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Junior youths
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10
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05
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50
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30
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Objective; To Build A Strong Membership Base And Volunteer Team Through Mobilization, Development and Retention of Youths So As To Respond To Their Vulnerabilities And Needs Of Other Vulnerable People In The Community
Activity: Youth camp
A youth camp was conducted in Kaberamido with the aim of enhancing the youth participation in the growth and development of the sub branch. Forty youth participated in the camp where activities lasted five days. The participants were identified from the nine sub counties of the Kaberamaido district. Other participants included school students from St. Thomas SSS and Kaberamaido SSS. Of the 40 participants, 10 were female and 30 male.
The youth were able to make 1,000 bricks during the camp. The bricks will be used for the construction of an office block to house the sub branch office.
One big seed bed was constructed and sowed by the youth. The seeds planted were of lemons will undergo a process of grafting to produce improved oranges.
Besides those activities; the youth were able to understand dissemination of Red Cross information, group formation and sustainability through initiating income generating projects.
Ten youth were facilitated to attend a regional youth camp in Mbale. Out of these, five were from Kaberamaido and five from Soroti. They were trained in project management and the youth policy.
Disaster Preparedness and Response
Objective 3: Respond effectively and timely to disasters affecting the most vulnerable households
Activity; FERST Training
Soroti Branch hosted the FERST training which attracted 30 delegates from different countries. Simulation exercises were conducted to enable participants develop early recovery skills and knowledge of the Red Cross and Red Crescent staff and volunteers who would be deployed on early Recovery missions (primarily within the existing global tools such as FACT and RDRT). Field visits were conducted in 2 parishes/villages in Katakwi District hit by the 2007 floods. Amorongora village was identified as the model village among the 6 villages found in Ngariam sub-county.
During the simulation exercise the risks identified were;
Ø Outbreak of cholera and dysentery due to poor sanitation and consumption of unboiled water and malaria due to poor drainage pattern and the surrounding bushes.
Ø Outbreak of famine due to the prolonged dry spell.
Ø Flooding of the settlements since the community has settled on the low laying basin.
Ø Other eminent risks likely to occur was the high infection rate of HIV/AIDS as the communities have very little knowledge about the disease and thus the demand for Voluntary Counseling and Testing services brought closer since health centers are located far.
Ø A proposal was developed for future intervention to curb the challenges which were identified.
Activity; Home Based Care
Thirty volunteers; 19 male and 11 female were selected to attend training as home based care facilitators. The volunteers were selected from Orungo Sub County, Kapelebyong Sub County-Amuria District. In Katakwi district, the participants were got from Magoro Sub County, Ngariam Sub County and Ongongoja Sub County and one participant was selected from Soroti Branch.
These included members from the Village Health Teams (VHT), Community Drug Distributors and community mobilisers. The training was geared toward strengthening the capacity of volunteers in Home Based Care Management
Activity; PASSA
Field work and training to analyze the tools used to implement the Participatory Approach to Safe Shelter Awareness (PASSA) concept in Katakwi was conducted. The lessons learnt will be utilized to further the resource mobilization for the project implementation of shelter, water and hygiene in the vulnerable communities.
The branch did provide seedlings to youth and women groups as a way to commemorate the volunteer day and also to contribute to change with regard to adverse effects of climate change.
Objective; Improve networking, partnership and collaboration with local, national and international development actors
Networking, Partnership and Collaboration
The branch hosted the International Volunteer Day in collaboration with the district and other development partners operating in Soroti. 2000 tree seedlings were planted which included fruits, wood and shed tree seeds in different locations in town and Gwere Sub County.
The branch has been at the forefront during the development of the contingency plan for the districts of Soroti and Kaberamsido. These documents were developed in order to have a plan in place to address disasters in case of any occurrence.
The branch hosted delegates from Swedish Red Cross Society from Bomhus and Gavle international branches. The visit was intended to follow up support availed to the sub branch, share ideas and identify the future needs for the sub branch. This helped the branch to have a deep discussion with the delegates and district on the question of sustainability of Kaberamaido Sub Branch.
In a two roomed house in Wakataayi Village, Kakakala Parish, Zirobwe Sub County, Luweero district lives 12 year old primary school going Nakku Sherinah. She studies in Primary four at Kijugumbya Primary school. The household has seven (7) members with a 50 year old Nakimuli Sarah (grand mother) as the family head and Nakku being the second elder child in this home. 
