Uganda Chapter

Chapter name: Uganda Chapter

Chapter location: Uganda

Language: English (OFFICIAL), Luganda Luo, Ankole

Organizing statement: We are a team of health care professionals struggling for health equity through education, evidence -based advocacy with Social Medicine at its core and work in support of the mission and vision of EqualHealth's Social Medicine Consortium.

We work to implement programmes that advance HealthEquity within the Ugandan context.

We subscribe to the Campaign Against Racism and our goal is to dismantle structural racism and its effects on the health of the world because Racism Kills.

Chapter Leadership: Dr. Brian Turigye, Dr. Jonathan Nkalubo, Joy Birunji, and Peruth Nabirye

Contact Information: Email Dr. Turigye

OUR HISTORY
The EqualHealth Uganda launched in 2018 at the SMC conference in the Navajo Nation with the aim of supporting the activities of Global Campaign Against Racism (CAR) in Uganda.

ACTIVITIES
With the overall strategic goal of creating awareness on the impact of racism and racial capitalism on health in the African context, from 2018-2022 the chapter has organised a number of activities in hospitals, communities and higher institutions of learning.

  • SMC guest presentations on Social Medicine at Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, and Jinja regional referral hospital.

  • Certification on Racism and Racial Capitalism through whatsapp taught by chapter members and Social Medicine alumni, local organisations, sister chapters and University clubs.

  • Webinar and documentary on gender and stereotypes in health and the struggle for social acceptance affecting the health of women and young girls in collaboration with the Centre of Health Equity Zimbabwe.

  • Art and Photographic virtual exhibition showcasing stories about racism in the Uganda context. Stories about racial capitalism and its impact, collected through a survey and stories, were illustrated for exhibition to further difficult conversations on racism.

  • School-based Conversations on Colonialism grant-funded chapter-led training sessions to change the narrative of colonialism in the teaching and learning environment for secondary schools.


PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Our 2022 School-based Conversations on Colonialism aims to create awareness on how racism and colonialism manifest today and how they affect the health and well being in communities beyond the classroom.

The impact of the project is to end beliefs of white supremacy and mental illness related to historical remnants of colonialism and colonial legacies existing to date through addressing the teaching pedagogy on colonialism by changing the way it's simply projected as a learning content to emphasis on the historical effects.

Expanding Our Scope - Addressing social determinants of health
 In 2022, Uganda chapter members decided expanding our scope to include: Climate Justice, Gender, Health Policy, Research, Leadership, Capacity Building, Health Communications and Advocacy as well as Campaign against Racism, Social Medicine education.

CHECP
The Uganda Chapter is establishing a register NGO, CHECP, with the mandate to penetrate communities and expand our scope of work. CHECP will operate within Uganda while connecting globally to address issues surrounding global influences on local experiences that pose a threat to the health of vulnerable populations.