Abwoch Medical Outreach Reached 301 People in One Day

On 3 July 2026, the Acholi Women in Health Foundation (AWIHF) held its official pre-launch medical outreach at Abwoch Health Centre III in Tochi County, Omoro District, under the theme "Rooted in Community, Rising in Health: The AWIHF Story."

The one-day outreach brought essential health services closer to the community, free of charge, through a coordinated effort involving AWIHF, specialized health-service partners, Abwoch Health Centre III, and local district authorities. Conducted as part of AWIHF's pre-launch programming, the camp was designed to demonstrate the Foundation's community-rooted service model while delivering urgent care to underserved families.

By the end of the day, 301 community members had been reached in a single day, demonstrating both the overwhelming demand for accessible health services and the potential of a coordinated, community-based approach in overcoming rural barriers of distance, cost, and health literacy.

What the Outreach Delivered

• 301 community members reached across five essential health service streams in one day.
• 121 general medical consultations (71.1% women), with 71 consultations resulting in a documented diagnosis and immediate medication dispensing.
• 76 people screened for sickle cell, identifying 23 individuals (30.3%) carrying either sickle cell trait or sickle cell disease.
• 56 people reached through HIV services, with 52 tested (98.1% negative, 1.9% positive linked to care) and 3 high-risk clients initiated on PrEP.
• 35 women screened for cervical cancer, with 1 woman referred for further specialized assessment and clinical management.
• 13 women supported with modern family planning, choosing Depo-Provera (84.6%) and Sayana Press (15.4%).
• 5 specialist partners working side by side under a collaborative task-sharing framework.

Meaning of the Results

The outreach highlighted both the scale of unmet health needs in the community and the value of bringing multiple services together in one location. General consultations accounted for the largest share of attendance, while the specialised services provided opportunities for community members to learn their health status, access preventive care, and receive appropriate referrals where further management was required.

The experience also gave AWIHF practical lessons about how future outreach activities can be planned and scaled more effectively. Chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes were identified as key non-communicable diseases needing ongoing referral pathways, while high turnout demonstrated that community trust and multi-service convenience remain central to expanding rural healthcare access.

Partner Collaboration

AWIHF extends deep gratitude to our contributing partners who made this outreach possible through technical coordination, task-sharing, and cost-sharing: Tackle Sickle Cell Africa (TSCA) for sickle cell screening and counseling; The AIDS Support Organisation (TASO), Gulu Centre for HIV screening and counseling; Reproductive Health Uganda (RHU), Gulu Branch for cervical cancer screening and family planning; Abwoch Health Centre III and Omoro District Local Government for facility hosting and infrastructure; Hashtag Gulu for youth and community mobilization; and AWIHF's dedicated staff and student health volunteers.