Welcome to GLO Monthly Happenings!
Dear friends,
We are pleased to announce that with your help, we exceeded our fundraising goal and collected over $26,000! The success of GLOfest 2018 enabled GLO founders Jolly and Kurt Lux to take a mission trip to Uganda for the pre-opening of the new clinic that served over 250 patients. Below are some of the services that were provided in partnership with Masindi Hospital to reduce maternal and child mortality in the community.Vaccinations were given to women of childbearing ages (15-45 years), including pregnant women (below) along with vaccinations for:
Tuberculosis
Polio
Whooping Cough
Diphtheria
Measles
Neonatal Tetanus
Nutrition assessment and vitamin supplementation were given to children and pregnant mothers.
Malnutrition causes about 45% of child deaths in Uganda. It severely affects children because it can lead to:
Stunting in early life (particularly in the first 1,000 days from conception until age 2)
Inability to gain/ maintain weight
Frailty - especially regarding bone density, physical strength and endurance
A compromised immune system/ greater risk of infection
Cognitive impairments
Anemia
The severity of a child's stunting is directly related to their degree of cognitive impairments. Adults who were malnourished as children often have lower educational attainment and earn decreased wages. These adults have a reduced likelihood of escaping poverty.
One way your support helps GLO fight malnutrition is by training Community Healthcare Workers (CHWs) to better identify and manage malnutrition. In 2017, GLO helped more than 22 healthcare workers receive training focused on nutrition, allowing them to reach 26 villages [below].
Some examples of our nutrition intervention programs include routine nutrition and growth monitoring along with counseling and education courses for caregivers on nutrition.
Diversifying diets can change household food consumption patterns. In the rural communities that GLO serves, malnutrition is common; households often eat starch-based diets due to limited access to meats, dairy, fruits or vegetables.
GLO works directly with caregivers, teaching them about the importance of certain types of food:
Foods that protect their children (vitamin- and mineral-rich foods)
Foods that build their children’s bodies (protein-rich foods)
Foods that give their children energy (foods with carbohydrates)
GLO is working hard to ensure that families have all of the knowledge and skills they need to maintain healthy diets and reduce the prevalence of malnutrition in Uganda.
Child vaccinations and growth monitoring were performed by our teams.
Children make up nearly half of Uganda's population, but they suffer from the highest mortality of any age group. About 1 in 10 children in rural Uganda die before they reach the age of 5, mostly from preventable illnesses such as pneumonia, diarrhea, HIV, malaria, malnutrition, measles and neonatal complications.
We treated 225 patients during our epilepsy outreach program!
Our medical team focused on giving pregnant women the prenatal care they need during their pregnancy.
Thank you to all of our donors for making a change like this!
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Because of your generosity, GLO is working hard to reduce the rate of maternal and child mortality. From prevention and home testing programs to making sure all children have access to primary health care, it is our mission to give this community the health care attention it so desperately needs and deserves.
With deep appreciation,
Jolly Lux Founder and Executive Director Guiding Light Orphans