About TUSC
Landlocked Uganda, with a population of over 49 million people, has one of the youngest populations in the world. It is also one of the fastest growing and women have a high fertility rate of 5.5 children; this is often more than they desire due to the poor provision of contraception and social/cultural practice. Sadly poverty, early motherhood, high birth rates and variable quality of maternity/medical services contribute to a poor maternal mortality rate (284/100,000 pregnancies, compared to 10/100,000 in the UK). Infant mortality is also high (28.5/1000 live births compared to the UK’s 3.8/100,00).
TUSC is regularly called by midwives in rural clinics to transport pregnant/labouring women to the City Hospital when complications arise. For most of these women their alternative form of transport would be a motorbike taxi which carries its own risks. TUSC will respond day or night to these requests.
Malaria is a big scourge on the health of people in Uganda and is the biggest cause of death, especially in children. In 2023 there were a reported 12.7 million cases of recorded malaria infection and the < 5’s mortality rate due to malaria was 43.3/1000 live births. When funds allow TUSC will provide ITN’s (insecticide treated nets) to vulnerable people and also to any child that is transported with confirmed malaria. This is supported by advice on prevention and safe use of the nets. Prevention is always better than cure, especially in the case of this miserable and serious disease.
In Uganda there is a significantly higher incidence of brain injury at birth than in western societies. The reasons are many, varied and complex but there are large numbers of children born with significant disabilities because of this. For the last ten years TUSC has been transporting several children each week for physiotherapy and we also transport them for their follow-up care, locally and regionally. Not only does this benefit the child physically but the social and emotional benefits to the child and their carers are myriad, including altering on a small scale the stigma that is often inflicted upon mothers and carers of such children. Without TUSC most of these children and their families would not be able to access this service.
Injuries from Road Traffic Accidents (the roads are ‘challenging’ to say the least) are far too common and we are often called by local people and the police to help transport people to hospital. Burn injuries are also much higher than in the west, with charcoal stoves and candles being a factor in children receiving horrific injuries.
In short, TUSC will endeavour to support transport for healthcare needs whenever we can. Lack of funds should not prevent people receiving the healthcare that they need and is available in country. “On the Road to Health” is our motto and is to us, a Human Right.
Meet Our Team
TUSC (Transporting Ugandan Sick Children) is a small charity organisation that provides transport for sick and disabled children, pregnant women and others with health needs from villages around Jinja, Uganda to clinics and hospitals.
CAROL
After visiting Uganda with another organisation in 2010, Carol (a UK registered Nurse, Midwife and Health Visitor) was shocked that a child died because of lack of transport to hospital.
After lengthy discussions with Yakub and people and organisations in Uganda it was decided that we would try in our own small way to help reduce this risk for others.
Learning how to set up a Charity and starting to fundraise was a challenge and a steep learning curve but in 2012 we were registered and began our work.
Carol visits Uganda (at her own cost) regularly to link in with the team on the ground, liaise with the organisation’s we partner with, and to offer her (vaguely useful) community health experience/knowledge to the team.
YAKUB
Born in a remote village in eastern Uganda, Yakub was the youngest of 7 children on his Mothers side and has lots of other half siblings on his Dad’s side.
Completing his education to O’level standard was a lengthy challenge due to the sourcing of fees, and after that Yakub moved to Jinja to help his sister with her small shoe selling business.
It was whilst there that he started volunteering with a western led organisation.
Here he met the co-founder of TUSC and between them they set about doing their small bit to help get people to healthcare.
This was prompted by the death of a young child who died because his family had no resources to take him to the hospital.
It took a lot of preparation and planning to set up ‘TUSC’ but Yakub has been leading the project on the ground since 2012.
He completed his Bsc in Social Work over a five year weekend programme and has helped to develop the service so that it serves the communities appropriately.
Yakub cares and provides for his niece, loves football and supports BURNLEY FC!