On November 29, 2016, we started our #accessforall campaign to a) tell the stories of the people we work with and b) connect them to other people who discuss a time when it was important for them to have access to healthcare. Here are some explanations of why we chose this campaign.
Aspire for something big!
Health Access Connect’s mission is to link Ugandans living in remote areas with healthcare resources. Though our work targets specific communities (we can’t be everywhere!), we’re part of a global movement of people and organizations working to make sure everyone in the world has access to health services.
Highlight the voices of the people we work with.
We wanted to highlight the voices and the stories of the people we work with: residents of remote communities. We also wanted to hear from health workers and HAC staff who work on our project. We chose a storytelling style inspired by Humans of New York in which we interview the people we work with and put direct quotes down.
Build connections.
We do work in remote villages in Uganda, but our donors and followers are based in North America, Europe, and Kampala, Uganda. So how do we build understanding and connections with the places where we work? We think the best way is to find common ground in a basic human need: healthcare.
Appreciate our access.
We all know that healthcare is important to our own lives, and we wanted to help people connect to our mission by reflecting on how important it is for us to be able to access healthcare. We’ve heard some great stories so far! And we look forward to more.
That’s it in a nutshell! We hope to expand upon these stories and continue to pursue #accessforall.
“People like this project very much. If they hear that it is coming, they really become pleased and come to get the medicine. [The clinics] relieve us from having to walk long distances to get health services. A person can get medicine easily, and on top of that, people don’t ask money from us. [This project] saves our lives, and thus we do not die, we continue surviving. The project is really good.”
“Before we have found that we spend a lot of money to reach where we go to get the medicine. But now, we spend little money and the work at home is not affected. So we are really happy about the presence of this project.
“[The people of this village] are extremely happy to see that this project exists. At first we were few members, but ever since it started, the number of members has gone up which means they are happy.”
Tibarusa Vincent
Fisherman
Buziga Village, Kalangala District, Uganda
#accessforall #GivingTuesday
“I only use a little time to get medicine right here, and I can finish my work in time. And I can be here to cook for my children because I’m a parent. Then I would not get tired moving from one place to the other. But if I stay here, I can be healthy and strong. I really enjoy it because we get this medicine right here, and this project will really help us.”
Naziwa Prossy
Farmer and Animal Rearer
Buziga Village, Kalangala District, Uganda #accessforall#GivingTuesday