Megan Battin ’12, from Hamburg, NY, is a double major in Public Health and American Sign Language. She is the founder of UR Uganda, an organization whose mission is to bring healthcare and other opportunities to the 26,000 people of Lugala, Uganda.
What peaked your interest in starting UR Uganda?
Two years ago, I was shooting hoops with my coach and he asked me what I wanted to do when I grow up. I told him that I want to become a doctor without borders and work in Africa. He told me that he works with a teacher in his school district that goes to Uganda twice a year on missionary trips. I asked for the contact information of the man who goes and my coach gave it to me. I was in touch with Bob Schooley, who goes twice a year, right away. I soon was packed up and ready to go to Uganda the summer going into college. As ready as I was to go to Africa, I was not ready for what I would see. You can see poverty on television and in the newspaper. However, having the tangible experience to extreme poverty is a whole different ballgame. So I knew I would be back to Uganda because these people need opportunities, and I knew that I could give them some, such as healthcare and athletics.
What is the mission of UR Uganda?
Our mission is to build a medical clinic to provide sustained medical care for the people of Lugala. UR Uganda will not only provide enhanced medical support to the region, but will also solidify a suitable infrastructure for the entire village. It is our hope that this aid will be the first step to empowering the people of Lugala with opportunities for a better tomorrow. We will focus on the four essentials that must be accomplished in order to diminish poverty- health, infrastructure, education, and agriculture. We will focus on the four essentials that must be accomplished in order to diminish poverty- health, infrastructure, education, and agriculture.
Tell me about Lugala.
Lugala is considered the bush of Uganda. There are approximately 4,000 huts and 26,000 people living in Lugala, all of who live under $1 everyday. Clementina, our African friend, is the only nurse in Lugala; therefore she solely cares for all 26,000 individuals. She is also the pastor of the local church, makes her own brick for her home and grows her own gardens. She is a remarkable woman of whom we will be building the clinic for. The clinic will consist of 10 major rooms and two minor rooms. It will have different departments such as a female and male ward, pediatric ward, dispensary, maternity room, laboratory, injection room, an office, and a store.
When will you actually go to Uganda?
On July 11th a team from UR Uganda will set off to Lugala for approximately 5 weeks. We will be building a medical clinic, start a soccer camp for “at-risk” children, start a women’s micro-business, implement family planning and preventative medicine programs, visit HIV/AIDS therapy groups, and look into starting a chicken farm.
What will the trip entail?
We will purchase all building supplies in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, along with malaria nets, medical supplies, food, and other necessities. We will start building right away with the help from the community. In the evenings we will run a soccer clinic for “at risk” children who either have HIV/AIDS or are at risk for having it. The Hamburg soccer club donated soccer balls, cleats, uniforms, and soccer socks in order to give us the opportunity to start this program. Together we are putting together a preventative and family planning medicine program, which consists of us bringing over condoms, toothbrushes, and toothpaste. We will work nurse Clementina to establish this program and make sure it continues to flourish and sustain itself. After building a new clinic for those of Lugala, the old clinic, a 6 x 6 ft room, will be turned into a women’s micro-business. We will provide the women of Lugala with sewing machines and material to get started on a clothing business in order to have an opportunity to sustain themselves and their family. UR Uganda will also be visiting the three HIV/AIDS therapy groups in Lugala to learn about the disease and how it affects people and their communities. We will look into purchasing medication for these individuals.
What are you working on now to continue to prepare?
We are currently researching the possibility of establishing a chicken farm. It would contain 100 chickens; we would build a pen for them, provide feed, and hire someone to work it while we are not there. We are currently looking for the funds to make this possible. We have the land to establish it on; we just need to money to make it a reality.
One of our major concerns is sustainability. Therefore the entire time we are there we will be researching and conducting a field study. We will establish relationships with the community and identify what their major concerns are, what we can do to help, and what we should do to be of the most help when we return. Upon our arrival home, we will look to publish our documentations along with a book about the experience itself. A lot of my time this past summer went into getting a not-for-profit status. This requires having a 501(c)3, which is a government document allowing an organization to be tax-exempt. It has taken a lot of research in order to get the right attorney, lawyer and accountant just to get the paperwork in circulation. Once this is filled out, it may take the government up to nine months to get back to us with a response. This is a very costly process but is worth it in the end. By being tax exempt, an organization can apply for grants. So this has been another part of my summer, looking into grant writers and the grants that UR Uganda is eligible to apply for.
How is this all funded?
In order to afford the costs of the clinic, supplies, etc, we fundraise in the Rochester community and look to fundraise in Buffalo, and Hamburg. We are working with Rotary for an $8,000 grant, which will cover the costs of building the clinic. We are beyond grateful to be able to work with the Rotarians because they are truly a group of phenomenal, down to earth, good-hearted individuals. I am proud to say I am a Rotarian myself. We will continue to accept donations at any time. They can be made by mail or via our website www.uruganda.org. All further information can be found there as well.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Rochester chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.