72km north of a town called Lira lies a clinic - The Kristina Health Clinic. What should be an hour drive is drawn out to 2 as you navigate the potholes and rocks along the bumpy red dirt road. Rows of sunflowers and mudhuts here and there catch your eye, the window provides an insight into a world unknown. The clinic comes into sight; three stand alone buildings offering hope through basic medical services. The mango tree provides shelter from the blazing Ugandan sun as mothers to be wander the grounds, anticipating the arrival of another family member. The ambulance parked onsite is on call for emergencies, ready to travel along that red road which you came. It is peaceful. We are incredibly proud of the Kristina Health Centre. Opened in 2012, the centre was a dream of co-founder Julius Achon. His mother died from a gunshot wound in 2004. The clinic now stands in the village where this happened. Had she access to basic medical care, Kristina would have survived.
"The empowerment of rural women and girls is essential to building a prosperous, equitable and peaceful future for all on a healthy planet" - Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General The1 billion of the world's population that continue to live in poverty are heavily concentrated in rural areas. Of this, over 2/3 are women. Women in rural areas are responsible for 43% of agricultural labour force, for rural development, improving food security and reducing & eradicating rural poverty. Their lives depend on natural resources, the environment and the climate in which they live. In the same breath, rural women are far worse off than rural men. In developing nations women in rural areas lack access to education. They lack access to resources. They lack access to health care clean water. Women in rural areas most often do not have their basic needs met, because of both their remote location and their gender. The empowerment of rural wo