Kasensero, its relation to women's health
Kasensero is famous for being the epicenter of the worldwide birth of HIV-AIDS. In the 1980’s, the first verified blood test of HIV was confirmed in this small fishing village in Southwest Uganda. The community has had the profound misfortune of being at the nexus of poverty, warfare, rape, sex trade and long haul trucking, all which contributed to the sprawl of the epidemic. It is plagued with high numbers of orphans, vulnerable children, and high HIV prevalence rates. Local government health care workers testifying that 75% of all persons tested are HIV positive, urgent intervention is greatly needed.
Kasensaro lacks proper roads, buildings, schools, and medical clinics. The closest community health center is 17km away, which is long haul to travel by foot. There is extremely limited treatment available for common local diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, HIV-AIDS, and sexually transmitted diseases, and screening is almost obsolete.
Cervical cancer is close to one-hundred percent preventable when offered appropriate screening. In Uganda alone, close to 2,500 women a year lose their life to this disease. HIV+ women are five times more likely to suffer from invasive cervical cancer compared to a woman with a healthy immune system.
In June 2014, Dr. Lee the Director of the Women’s Health Center at Danbury Hospital, a specialist in cervical pathology, will join me to provide education, screening, and treatment for cervical pathology. We will be working in conjunction with Caring Hands Foundation (CHF), a non-profit organization that hosts an annual mobile medical camp in the village of Kasensaro. All basic medical services will be available including testing for HIV, TB, Malaria and other debilitating diseases.
We will hold group sessions to teach women about the female body, safe sex practices, and the importance of screening and treatment of gynecological diseases. (Thank you Prevention International: No Cervical Cancer (PINCC) for your generous donations of the picture pamphlets and educational material!) We will have two local health community leaders working by our sides. The hope is to have them master this practice so they can continue to offer “See and Treat” services and protect women from developing cervical cancer.
S.T.A.R. International is hoping to obtain a cryotherapy and/or LEEP machine as well as speculums, biopsy needles, and the all other necessary medical equipment in order to provide quality care to these women in need.
Kasensero is famous for being the epicenter of the worldwide birth of HIV-AIDS. In the 1980’s, the first verified blood test of HIV was confirmed in this small fishing village in Southwest Uganda. The community has had the profound misfortune of being at the nexus of poverty, warfare, rape, sex trade and long haul trucking, all which contributed to the sprawl of the epidemic. It is plagued with high numbers of orphans, vulnerable children, and high HIV prevalence rates. Local government health care workers testifying that 75% of all persons tested are HIV positive, urgent intervention is greatly needed.
Kasensaro lacks proper roads, buildings, schools, and medical clinics. The closest community health center is 17km away, which is long haul to travel by foot. There is extremely limited treatment available for common local diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, HIV-AIDS, and sexually transmitted diseases, and screening is almost obsolete.
Cervical cancer is close to one-hundred percent preventable when offered appropriate screening. In Uganda alone, close to 2,500 women a year lose their life to this disease. HIV+ women are five times more likely to suffer from invasive cervical cancer compared to a woman with a healthy immune system.
In June 2014, Dr. Lee the Director of the Women’s Health Center at Danbury Hospital, a specialist in cervical pathology, will join me to provide education, screening, and treatment for cervical pathology. We will be working in conjunction with Caring Hands Foundation (CHF), a non-profit organization that hosts an annual mobile medical camp in the village of Kasensaro. All basic medical services will be available including testing for HIV, TB, Malaria and other debilitating diseases.
We will hold group sessions to teach women about the female body, safe sex practices, and the importance of screening and treatment of gynecological diseases. (Thank you Prevention International: No Cervical Cancer (PINCC) for your generous donations of the picture pamphlets and educational material!) We will have two local health community leaders working by our sides. The hope is to have them master this practice so they can continue to offer “See and Treat” services and protect women from developing cervical cancer.
S.T.A.R. International is hoping to obtain a cryotherapy and/or LEEP machine as well as speculums, biopsy needles, and the all other necessary medical equipment in order to provide quality care to these women in need.