Health Advocacy

Under Health Advocacy, we focus on the following four critical areas:

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene: PLANE, dedicated to Health Advocacy in Uganda, actively works towards advancing water and sanitation services, promoting improved hygiene practices. Our efforts include sensitizing individuals in rural communities and schools, emphasizing the vital aspects of safe water consumption and responsible facility utilization for the overall health and well-being of the community.
Health Care Campaigns: PLANE actively engages in healthcare advocacy, delivering healthcare services directly and indirectly through free medical outreach camps in marginalized rural communities. Our commitment extends to organizing charity campaigns, raising funds for individuals with complex illnesses like heart diseases, kidney problems, brain tumors, and cancer. Simultaneously, we mobilize and sensitize communities, promoting preventive measures against communicable diseases, encouraging healthy eating habits, and advocating for the use of treated mosquito nets to prevent malaria.
Sexual Reproductive & Health Rights: In our commitment to patient advocacy in healthcare, PLANE strives to amplify awareness and education on Sexual Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR). Advocacy on health is evident as we empower teenagers, communities, NGOs, and religious leaders, fostering a proactive approach. Simultaneously, our dedication to advocacy in health education is reflected in our innovative initiatives. We actively engage young individuals in understanding and taking charge of their health, employing evidence-based strategies to meet reproductive health needs. Embracing a rights-based approach, our program combats harmful cultural practices and Gender-Based Violence, addressing the lack of accurate information on SRHR. Through radio drama, outreaches, community dialogues, Health Conferences, and radio talk shows, we seamlessly integrate patient advocacy, health advocacy, and health education advocacy in the Rwenzori region and Uganda at large.

Healthy Pregnancy/Birth and Early Childhood: In our dedication to community health advocacy, we actively endorse home visiting programs for pregnant teens, women, and parents residing in vulnerable communities. Through healthcare advocacy, our team, comprising nurses, social workers, and early childhood educators, facilitates these visits, fostering positive parenting practices and enhancing overall family health. In tandem, our advocacy in health education is evident as we aim to empower young mothers’ families in at-risk or hard-to-reach communities. These initiatives, rooted in health advocacy in Uganda, extend beyond mere healthcare advocacy, including community training to prevent child abuse and neglect. This comprehensive approach, encompassing positive parenting, improved maternal and child health, and enhanced child development and school readiness, reflects our commitment to holistic community well-being. Evidence-based home visiting not only ensures a healthier start for children but also proves cost-effective, yielding benefits such as reduced government spending, increased individual and community awareness, and heightened individual earnings. Our team evaluates families’ strengths and needs and provide services tailored to those needs that include, among others:
- We teach positive parenting skills and parent-child interactions
- We promote early learning in the home, emphasizing strong communication between parents and children that stimulate early language development and love
- We provide information and guidance on a wide range of topics, including breastfeeding, safe sleep practices, immunization, injury prevention, family planning, manageable family and nutrition
- We conduct screenings and provide referrals to address postpartum depression, substance abuse, and family violence
- We screen children for developmental delays and facilitate early diagnosis and intervention for autism and other developmental disabilities
- We connect families to other services and resources as appropriate