GENDER INEQUITY AND CHILD HEALTH CARE IN UGANDA’S VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES.

Mothers and children make up over 2/3 of the whole population. Women in reproductive age (15 – 49) constitute 21%, pregnant women 4.5%, children under1 5, 47%, children under 5, 18%, under 3: 12% and infants: 4%.Maternal mortality is an adverse outcome of many pregnancies. Miscarriages, induced abortions and other factors, are causes for over 40% of the pregnancies in Uganda to result into complications, illnesses, or permanent disability for the mother or child.

Gender inequity is often massive amongst families and healthcare dynamics that have long-term health implications for children as they grow up.

ISSUES ACCOMPANYING CHILD HEALTH CARE;

Limited or no education provided to children due to lack of financial stability or unprioritization of girl-child education brought about by accent gender stereotyping of women.

Vulnerable families and children have less or no access to safe hygiene due to conditions they face such as poverty, unavailability of clean water, over crowdedness and many other aspects that encourage poor hygiene.

Most vulnerable mothers give birth to their children in very harsh conditions with no access to medical aid and vaccinations for instance; they are not assisted in attaining antenatal care thus ending up giving birth at home or in banana plantations. This limits the mother and child/children from being examined and treated by a health worker thus resulting into acquisition of infections and some serious diseases.

Inadequate nutrition is very lacking in vulnerable homes because they are unable to buy most nutritious foods due to their expense. Thus, the most nutritious foods are left for the consumption of the family head hence promoting sickness and poor health care in children.

Families and health care workers play a vital role in a child’s health care/ wellbeing since they can greatly hinder or aid in the reception of proper health care.

WAYS IN WHICH GENDER INEQUALITY CAN BE ELIVIATED IN CHILD HEALTH CARE INCLUDE;

World Health Organization in partnership with UNICEF for Children suggest that gender mainstreaming is a key fact in improving child health care. It is used as a strategy for making women and girls, men and boys’ concerns and experiences an integral dimension of the design, implementational, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programs so as ‘women and girls, men and boys, girls and boys’ can benefit equally hence abolishing inequality in child healthcare.

As both sexes are innately equal, gender equality need not be considered as a far-off idea.

The Following Suggest The Removal Of Man-Made Barriers Against Gender Equality And To Aid The Survival Of More Vulnerable Children,

Kayden Foundation also brings mothers and children at the forefront and prioritize their health at home and in the clinic through support for breastfeeding, good hygiene and family- friendly primary health care access.

Patriarchal societies are often concerned more about the well-being of their progeny than that of their women. Through the outreach programs carried-out by Kayden Foundation Uganda, the relationship between the gender inequality of both the fathers(male heads) and vulnerable mothers with the survival of  their vulnerable children are highlighted in every possible way to make them feel the need for a social change.

Poor vulnerable women, who lack skilled education, rely on agricultural labor and small businesses for their autonomy. Through Kayden Foundation the interests of these vulnerable mothers are preserved during the current wave of capitalist boom in vulnerable communities.

Kayden Foundation invests in mothers through trainings, capacity building, capital enforcement and market research in order to promote earning and employment thus increasing the livelihoods of these women’s families and encouraging better health care access. Thus, existing health services should join their hands with social initiatives through Kayden Foundation to prioritize women’s autonomy to achieve desired health indicators.

Education policies for women should emphasize developing skills, rather than imparting more knowledge. Governments should realize that spending on higher education of women is a wise investment to accelerate their economic growth, prevent more child mortality and to reduce their expense on curative health services. Kayden Foundation ensures equitable access to higher education and investigates the determinants of female higher education dropout rates which are essential to promote change in vulnerable communities.

In conclusion; We as Kayden Foundation Uganda look forward to joining hands with you as a united front to encourage reduced mortality rates of vulnerable children, mothers and disadvantaged families in Uganda in order to better child health care, livelihoods and development of our vulnerable communities through our various outreach programs.