e-advocacy helps Kibate Health Center get promoted

The use of appropriate ICT tools to advocate for improved service delivery by the local citizens in Katebwa Sub County, Kabarole district have helped Kibate Health Centre II get promoted to a health center III in June 2013 by the government of Uganda. The promotion means that the health center will now be equipped with more staff and better services because there is also going to be improved funding of its activities from the government.

Kibate Health Center

Local citizens organized under their rural advocacy forum called Katebwa People’s Forum have been advocating for improved health service delivery in using live radio discussions and SMS. The rural advocacy forum operating in Katebwa Sub County was initiated by the local citizens with support from ToroDev.

“We have been complaining about the poor facilities in Kibate Health center II for years now. We can now enjoy better facilities in the Health sector. We presented our issues on radio in an organized Group (advocacy forum) which gave us better results in service delivery.” Said Thembo Monday, a Member of the Forum

Members of Katebwa People’s Forum also engaged their local leaders using appropriate ICT tools to demand for better service delivery especially increasing on the numbers of medical staff and drugs.

“We collected our issues and presented them on Voice of Toro and Better FM in May 2013 and we are proud that our leaders feared the pressure from the radio callers and the information was widely spread and finally at the end of the talkshow positive results were achieved, in June we were given the laboratory attendant and Kibate Health Center II and also promoted to a Health center III with better services.” Said Muhindo Ezra leader of Katebwa advocacy Forum.