Impact
We improve outcomes for severely ill patients by enabling their health providers to do their best work.
Saving child lives after they leave the hospital
The Smart Discharges Program
The problem. Many children die in the hospital. But even more die after they are discharged, and many receive no follow up care to save their lives.
Our solution. We identify the children at greatest risk when they are in the hospital and then use technology to connect health workers with parents after children leave the hospital. This leads to more and better care for children.
It works. A study of 7,307 children showed post-discharge follow up increased 3x and re-admission increased 2x. Child mortality decreased 30%.
We conducted this study in collaboration with Mbarara University of Science and Technology, University of British Columbia and five Ugandan hospitals.
Scaling nationwide. We are now working with the Ministry of Health, which has approved two tools — the mother-baby passport and mother counseling card — that scale these interventions. We are also working directly with community health worker programs in two districts to reach more children.
Partners. Ministry of Health, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, University of British Columbia, Village Health Team Network and Ugandan hospitals.
Preparing Uganda for the next epidemic
Creating “surge capacity” to respond to epidemics quickly
The problem. Uganda’s next epidemic is not “if” but “when”. Epidemic response requires a surge in trained health staff, and the health system is designed for routine care, not quick scale ups.
Our solution. We are the Ministry of Health’s primary partner on training and guidelines, particularly for Ebola. We train health workers rapidly so they can deliver care and stem the latest outbreak.
We scale fast.
- 600 health workers trained to identify emerging threats
- 550 health workers trained to deploy responders to the West Africa Ebola outbreak
- 560 health workers trained to respond to COVID-19
When we respond, we collaborate closely with the Ministry of Health to update or create clinical care guidelines to be adopted nation-wide.
Partners. Uganda Ministry of Health and Ugandan hospitals.
Scaling better tuberculosis care
Walimu hosts the Uganda Tuberculosis Implementation Research Consortium (U-TIRC)
The problem. Adherence to tuberculosis treatment by patients is critical, to prevent reoccurrence for the patient and decrease the spread of drug-resistant strains. But tracking and ensuring adherence is notoriously difficult.
Our solution. We have developed a series of interventions to improve care by addressing behavioral barriers, for instance by creating easy-to-use medication blister packs and SMS reminders to patients to take their medication.
A broad portfolio of work. The team is constantly developing and testing new solutions. We have complete seven major studies of interventions.
Scaling nationwide. The National TB and Leprosy Programme is part of U-TIRC, and is scaling our behavioral interventions and digital adherence technology nationwide.
Partners. Ministry of Health, Uganda National TB and Leprosy Programme, Makerere University (lead research institution), University of California San Francisco, Yale University, Johns Hopkins University and the London School of Hygiene and Tropic Medicine.
Support our work
That vast majority of our funding comes from research institutions. We rely on private donations to scale what we find works to save lives. Our major funders, such as the National Institutes of Health or WHO, rarely fund the critical activity of translating research into policy.
This makes your gift particularly high impact. For example, our research shows our Smart Discharges program saves the life of a child for as little as a few hundred dollars. Your donation can help this program scale across Uganda.