ESIKOMA COMMUNITY HEALTH PROJECT

Esikoma Community Health Project was established by the Esikoma Community Health Self-Help Group, which has been in existence since 2016. The project has constructed a community hospital which will be opened on 25th November 2022 to begin offering health services to local community. The hospital comprises of doctors consultation rooms, Maternity wing, a pharmacy, patients waiting bay and temporary wards. More facilities are still under construction.

The Self-Help Group is comprised of volunteers operating within Busia County, with the mission of spearheading the implementation of community health, environmental projects and development programs. The group focuses on Health and community development and other health-related issues. The group received training on HIV/AIDS prevention, VCT Counselling, Community mobilization, and home-based caregiving and education from the German foundation for world population. During this period, the trainees realized that there was a big health problem in their community. Apart from HIV/AIDS as the main problem, there were more health issues such as an increasing number of orphans/vulnerable children, and jigger menace as a result of parents death from HIV/AIDS. Most orphans were infected by jiggers, this was as a result of parental and guardian poor care. In general, such children lack basic needs such as health care, shelter, education, and clothing among others.Having realized all these problems within the community, the Community Health Volunteers decided to establish a group and named it as Esikoma Community Health Volunteers (ECHV). The group is engaging in activities like providing medical services, Jiggers eradication program, creating tree nurseries and planting trees, Health Education in local schools and Distribution of sanitary pads to schools. The profit generated from selling of the trees is channelled to the hospital project.