Uganda is an East African country of 31.3 million, with an average annual per capita income of $340. Life expectancy is 52.3 years, and one of every 15 infants dies before their first birthday. The leading cause of death and disability in Uganda is malaria.

Omni Med began work in Uganda in March ’08 as part of the Brookings Institution’s International Volunteering and Service Initiative. This initiative is designed to increase the number of US volunteers who serve around the world each year. In April of 2007, Dr O’Neil was asked to chair a working group at Brookings on the dire healthcare worker shortage in Sub-Saharan Africa, estimated to be around 1.5 million short. In this program, we are creating an innovative means to employ US health volunteers to address this critical health worker shortage. Omni Med has developed a model in which US health volunteers train Ugandan community health workers several primary care areas. The Ugandan Ministry of Health has embraced the program and Omni Med is working under the aegis of the Village Health Teams Initiative in which local community health workers provide immediate care for local villagers, offering a full range of preventive and treatment services to the most rural populations. An innovative aspect of the program is the rigorous evaluation of the direct impact of the volunteers’ efforts, something decidedly lacking but desperately needed in the service sector.

The program is based in the Mukono district of Eastern Uganda. Training occurs beforehand via an online course, and on site.  The Ugandan-generated Village Health Team Manual serves as the basis for the training, and US instructors cover all areas within, including malaria, maternal-child issues, sanitation, clean drinking water, etc.  As of the summer of 2010, Omni Med had sent 15 US volunteers to train more than 200 community health workers in Uganda; by the end of the summer, 400 workers will have been trained.

We are currently implementing a study which will test the impact of the volunteers’ efforts through rigorous, controlled trials comparing the US volunteers’ impact in selected areas vs. comparable areas without US volunteers. Where we find and demonstrate successful impact, we will then involve the control areas. The larger goal is to develop a scalable program that can serve as a template throughout the country, and East Africa. We fully expect that the benefits to the volunteers, the US image abroad, and, most importantly, to those in the villages served, will be substantial.

We are looking for motivated volunteers who are currently working or training to work in a health care related field.  Students, both graduate and undergraduate, are also encouraged to apply. Anyone interested in getting involved, please contact Dr O’Neil at ejoneil@omnimed.org

Uganda Program Brochure