Shooting in a developing nation can be a challenge. As I was flying to Uganda last June I prepared myself for delays and the general hiccups that are part of international travel. But my trip to the village of Mannya exceeded my expectations. In photographing the work that was being done at St. Bernard’s Hospital, I witnessed the transformation that aid can make in a community. Mannya is in a part of Uganda that had been written off as a lost cause, as a place that aid could make little impact. But the numbers show that improving vaccine access has the power to change communities. Here is what success in Mannya looks like-
1) 5 years ago, this picture of St. Bernard’s hospital would have looked a lot different.
When the CEO of the Cotton On Foundation first visited St. Bernard’s, he saw that the health center was far below the standards of Uganda’s health care. Cotton On has funded St. Bernard’s ever since.
2) St. Bernard’s is now where families throughout the region come to have their kids vaccinated.
Over the last 5-6 years, St. Bernard’s was able to build two new buildings, buy an ambulance, and begin a community health worker program. This program will increase the number of families who know how important it is to vaccinate their children, and encourage them to come to St. Bernard’s.
3) On the day we visited over a dozen families had come in to have their children vaccinated.
The parents waited patiently as the nurse explained exactly what they needed to do. The kids were mostly infants getting their first round of shots. Though most vaccinations are given to younger children, St. Bernard’s also provides vaccinations for older children.
4) Child health cards make sure each child is properly vaccinated.
In order to make sure that all of the kids that come to St. Bernard’s are on track for their vaccinations, the hospital issues child health cards. Since many immunizations need to be administered as a series of shots over years, these cards are invaluable for hospitals without computers.
5) This child will never have to live with polio.
Not all vaccines are administered by needles. A drop of the polio vaccine in a child’s mouth is all they need to be protected from the disease for life. Uganda has recently been re-infected with polio, making these immunizations even more important.
6) This nurse is preparing a needle to immunize a child against several diseases at once.
These children are getting immunized against diptheria, tetanus, and pertussis. Lucky for these kids, the vaccines for these diseases are combined into a single vaccine known as a DPT vaccine. In the same time period St. Bernard’s was being transformed, DPT vaccination coverage in Uganda increased from 71% in 2008 to 78% in 2012.
7) This is how we know vaccination programs are working.
The nurse is copying the information on the child health cards so that accurate information on the region’s immunization coverage is available. This data is how we know that immunization coverage is on the rise in Uganda, thanks to places that combine national programs with international aid like St. Bernard’s.
There is no part better part of being a photographer for Global Citizen than witnessing the success of international aid. The increase in immunization coverage is a true success story for Southern Uganda. I hope that these photos from my visit to St Bernard’s can be seen as an example of what investing in vaccinations and basic health can look like for a community.
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Jay Gunning