Title: The Role of ICT in Public Health and Wildlife Conservation Programs in and Around Protected Areas in
1The Role of ICT in Public Health and
Wildlife Conservation Programs in and Around
Protected Areas in Africa WOUGNET WORKSHOP
Womens Health 19 August 2004 Hotel Africana
Kampala, Uganda Dr. Gladys Kalema-ZikusokaFound
er CEO Conservation Through Public Health
gladys_at_ctph.orgLawrence ZikusokaFounder
Director of ICT for Development Conservation
Through Public Health lawrence_at_ctph.org
2Content
3Background - ICT for Development
Goals the development goal of using ICTs is to
open up new opportunities to empower people and
communities to become self-sufficient and to
reduce and eventually eliminate
poverty Objectives the development objective is
to facilitate equitable and universal access to
ICTs and the benefits that derive from their
exploitation Strategies the mainstreaming of
ICTs at all levels of society in all sectors of
the economy
Source UNDP, ICT for Development in National
Human Development Goals, 2003
4ICT Applications and Tools
ICT includes the use of print, radio broadcasts,
video, CD-ROMs, handheld computers, databases and
the Internet for acquiring, processing, storing
and sharing information and global knowledge
5Conservation Through Public Health
- Grassroots not-for-profit organization
- Founded by Ugandans in 2002
- Promoting conservation with public health
- Received 501(C) 3 non-profit status in USA
- Received NGO status in Uganda
- Role of ICT public health and wildlife
conservation programs
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7Conservation Through Public Health Focus on ICTs
Conservation Through Public Health would like to
integrate ICT in conservation, health and
education initiatives and compliment other
initiatives.
Examples include
- Connecting health care units in the community and
village settings - Promoting of local content development and
knowledge tools - Facilitating research on human and animal
diseases - Building capacity in the use of ICT applications
- Disseminating information using ICT
8Examples of Programs
- South Western Uganda Bwindi and Mgahinga
Conservation Area - Wildlife Conservation Society field veterinary
program grant to train rangers and trackers to
use handheld computers for mountain gorilla data
collection. - Health monitoring of endangered mountain
gorillas - Creation of regional and international
databases to facilitate research on gorilla
diseases
- South Western Uganda Buhoma Village Conservation
ICT Kiosk - Uganda Communications Commission, RCDF support to
set up a computer training centre in Bwindi
Impenetrable National Park. - Creation of a community access point
- (portals) to disseminate health and
- conservation information in local languages
- Provides local content and knowledge
- multimedia interactive CD-ROMs with focus on
- conservation, public health and livelihoods
- ICT capacity building initiative
- South Western Uganda Bwindi Impenetrable
National Park - Development Cooperation Ireland support to
strengthen Community Based Direct Observation
(CBDOTS) of TB treatments in local communities in
and around Bwindi and Mgahinga conservation area.
- Distribution of education and health news
content through Radio Kinkizi broadcasts and
talks shows in Kanungu District - Brochures used to strengthen CBDOTS outreach
programs in Mukono and Kyeshero parishes
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10Human/Primate Interaction
- Scabies skin disease outbreaks in two mountain
gorilla groups (1996 and 2000) - Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Death of an infant
- Morbidity in the rest of the groups
- Recovered with Ivermectin treatment
- Challenging treatment and follow up
11Human/Primate Interaction
- Close human/gorilla genetic relation
- Fragmented patches occupied by the poorest people
leads to problem gorillas - Relatively high incidence of scabies in the local
community - Difficult access to clean water prevents frequent
washing of clothes
12Human/Primate Interaction
- Theories
- - Gorillas coming into contact with contaminated
clothing when ranger guides/porters take tourists
and researchers for tracking - - Gorillas raiding crops and finding dirty
clothing in the gardens
13Health Education Workshops
- gt 1000 people in high conflict areas
- 8 villages, 5/19 parishes surrounding Bwindi
- All age groups (men, women, children)
- Participatory rural appraisal method
- Multidisciplinary team (Uganda Wildlife
Authority, District Health assistants/clinical
officers, International Gorilla Conservation
Programme)
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16Health Education Workshops
- Tuberculosis
- Scabies
- Ebola
- Polio
- Measles
- Ringworm
- Trachoma
- Typhoid
- Intestinal worms
- Lice
- Herpes virus
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20Health Education WorkshopRecommendations
- Medical
- - Bring health and diagnostic services closer,
increase access to safe water (MOH) - Non-medical
- - Strengthen human/gorilla conflict team,
compensation for crop damage (UWA) - Personal Hygiene
- - Dig proper pit latrines, cover rubbish heaps,
more health education (local community)
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23Number of People Drinking Boiled Milk
24Can People and Gorillas Transmit Diseases to Each
Other?
25Strategic Partnerships
- Conservation Through Public Health has formed
strategic partnerships with government,
educational networks, non-profit organizations,
foundations, and private sector corporations
worldwide.
Partial List of Strategic Partners
26Conclusions
- Promote data-sharing in communities between
conservation and health sectors as well as
agriculture, tourism and education sectors - Increase access to basic health care facilities
in remote locations - Build strong relationships between developments
in science and technology and the conservation
and heath sectors - Facilitate technology transfer from field
laboratories and clinical applications
27Thank You
- For more information on Conservation Through
Public Healthvisit our website at - www.ctph.org
-
- Plot 39 Babiiha Avenue 730 19th Street
- P.O. Box 10950 Kampala, Uganda Port Townsend
- Tel 256-77-330139 WA 98368, USA
- Fax 256-41-342298 Fax 360-379-9784