Kisaikye Nutrition Education Center is Brining Services to People in Need

Thanks to the generosity of donors like you, Kisaikye Nutrition Education Center (NEC) was opened in July 2018 and is serving as the Iowa State University - Uganda Program’s 9th NEC!

In October 2017, a rapid appraisal was conducted which identified the need for the new NEC. Nurses at Namasagali Health Center kept referring clients from areas more than three miles away from the old location (a long way for a malnourished mother to walk in the rain or under the hot sun while carrying a baby). Most of the clients were malnourished children, but due to the long distance, mothers stopped bringing the children to the existing NEC resulting in high default rates and relapses among recovering patients.

To alleviate this problem, a new NEC was opened in Kisaikye Village at the home of John and Loy Wakalaita. On the first day, 35 clients were enrolled. By the end of the month, the NEC had a total of 93 clients. And by the end of August, there were 144 clients! These clients include 66 women of reproductive age and 78 children (36 boys and 32 girls).

During the inaugural months, clients have been using facilities belonging to the host. The most pressing need at the time of opening the NEC was a latrine, which had to be constructed immediately. Construction of the latrine was completed by the end of July with clients beginning to use it immediately. The next item of business was the kitchen which is currently under construction. In the meantime, clients are preparing porridge in the open. Once the kitchen is complete, a gazebo will be built for shelter from sun and rain. In case of rain, the host has been generous enough to allow clients to use a room in his homestead.

As a result of this Fund ISU campaign, the Iowa State University- Uganda Program has brought services closer to people in need and increased their access to health care services. Your generosity has made all of this possible. Thank you!

We would like to thank everyone that made a financial contribution to the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods Nutrition Education Center Campaign. The campaign raised a total of $17,570 before a 3:1 donor match, bringing the final amount raised to $70,280 from 65 generous donors!

We encourage you to stay connected with the ISU Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods initiatives in Kamuli District, Uganda by visiting our website or following us on Facebook. Financial contributions are always accepted at www.foundation.iastate.edu/CSRL.

Webale! Thank you!

We are close to reaching our goal with only 2 days left! We want to thank all of the donors for their financial contributions to the CSRL Nutrition Education Center Campaign, it is your contributions that will make the start-up of a new Nutrition Education Center in Kamuli District, Uganda possible.

The campaign will end at 9:00p.m. this Friday, March 30th. Remember - every dollar contributed will be matched by three other donors, which means every $1 donated will total $4! Upon the completion of the campaign, we will send an update with the final dollar amount raised.

Please help us spread the word about this exciting and worthwhile project! https://fundisu.foundation.iastate.edu/project/8935

Thank you to everyone that has generously donated to the CSRL Nutrition Education Center Campaign, your financial contributions will help improve the lives of mothers, children and families in Kamuli District, Uganda.

Below is some information on how the current Centers have positively impacted lives!

Cissy Namulondo, a mother of five, finds it hard to believe that her youngest child, Esther, is still alive.

Having already lost two toddlers to malnutrition, Namulondo saw similar symptoms in Esther. Taking matters into her own hands, Namulondo tried to save Esther’s life by continually feeding her the only nutrition within reach: a diet of starchy foods. The narrow diet lacking protein and vitamins advanced Esther’s condition. Eventually, Namulondo “lost all hope” for her daughter’s survival.

Several years ago, Namulondo’s house was randomly selected by the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods for a nutrition survey. Upon encountering Esther, staff advised Namulondo to take her daughter to the local hospital. Esther was diagnosed with severe malnutrition, a bacterial infection and malaria parasites.

Once Esther was stabilized, she and her mother were admitted to Naluwoli Nutrition Education Center (NEC). In about a year, Esther’s weight doubled and Namulondo had completed the NEC’s training requirements in nutrition, agriculture, sanitation and other areas. Employing her newly learned skills, Namulondo has been able to maintain Esther’s health and the health of her entire family. She describes Esther as “cheerful, active and with a good appetite.”

Beyond her family, Namulondo has become a change agent in her community. She identifies and refers cases of malnutrition to the NEC and organizes women to walk to the NEC together.

Please share our crowdfunding website (https://fundisu.foundation.iastate.edu/project/8935) with friends, families and co-workers, so that they too are aware of the extraordinary dedication of the mothers of Kamuli.

Thank you to all donors that have made a financial contribution to this worthwhile project! All donations will be used to establish a new NEC, allowing families to travel shorter distances, ultimately saving them time and energy.

Mothers currently travel 1-3 miles to get to the nearest NEC, mainly walking or if they are lucky using their husband’s bicycle. Ironically, this is easy with a malnourished child aged 1- 3 years who weighs 7-10 pounds. However, once the child begins the recovery process and the weight increases to 12-25 pounds this becomes difficult for the mother to carry the baby, which unfortunately results in defaulting and sets the baby back nutritionally and frustrates the recovery process. The child risk of dying increases too.  To reduce the distance covered by the mother to attend a NEC, ISU-UP establishes these centers in areas close to where our clients live.

Betty Kagoya’s youngest daughter was so small at birth that Kagoya named her Miracle. But in the Kamuli District, where poverty is pervasive and families have little access to proper nutrition, Miracle’s long-term prospects were uncertain.

By age 18 months, Miracle was severely malnourished. Kagoya, who was then pregnant with her fourth child, had become malnourished as well. At that critical moment, Kagoya came into contact with Paul Mudhasi, host of the Kiwungu Nutrition Education Center (NEC). Kagoya and Miracle were quickly admitted to the NEC, where both began receiving its nutrient dense porridge. Miracle started to improve within a month’s time. Kagoya grew stronger, too, and soon gave birth to a 10-pound boy named Timothy.

At the NEC, Kagoya began learning about proper nutrition, sanitation and farming practices. Today, thanks to the training she received, Kagoya is able to raise the ingredients to make her own porridge and better feed her family. She was one of 131 NEC graduates in 2017 and plans to join the CSRL crafts program to begin generating household income. “My daughter, Miracle, was so tiny, her leg didn’t even look like a leg. But now she is a big beautiful girl,” says Kagoya, who eagerly tells others about the assistance and instruction she received at the NEC. Through her involvement in the Nutrition Education Center and other CSRL programs, Kagoya’s future, and that of her family, has been nourished and transformed.

Please consider a financial contribution to continue improving the lives of children and their families.

Pictured: Betty Kagoya (center), Miracle (left) and Timothy (right)