AVHA Uganda - Association of Volunteers for Health Action

Association of Volunteers for Health Action (AVHA) – Uganda is an established Non-governmental Organization (NGO) with its head office in Northern Uganda in Gulu City. The organisation operates in the Acholi sub region covering the districts of Gulu, Amuru, Nwoya, and Amuru. This region has a history of over 20 years of civil war between the rebels of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the Ugandan Government which ended around 2006 after the two warrying parties – Government and the LRA – signed a Peace Agreement. To date, however, the impact of the war remains visible in all service sectors, with health being one of the most hit. Other challenges include limited access to safe water, limited access to health services, high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, poor indicators for Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, Child and Adolescent health and inadequate access to health information, among others. Therefore, there is need for a concrete, collective and multi-sectoral course of action to address these challenges. AVHA - Uganda has its origins in the Gulu School of Clinical Officers in 2000 where an informal group, mainly composed of students regularly met for academic discussion. And because of what these students had experienced since they lived in the war-ravaged area and the conditions in which their parents, brothers and sisters were subjected to live in, they resolved to form a health club called Student’s Volunteer Health Club (SVHC). The major objective was to make a contribution towards alleviating the suffering of their people in the Internally Displaced People’s Camps (IDPs). Many of the club members participated in the treatment and prevention of the Ebola viral outbreak in Gulu (2000-2001). In 2005, the members of this Students Movement regrouped to form AVHA-Uganda, a bigger organization with broader aims and objectives and comprising of members with varied experience and specialties, ranging from the field of health discipline to the humanities and social sciences. AVHA now boasts of a strong team available and committed to deliver quality health interventions in the community.

Mission

AVHA Mission is to partner with the government and development agencies to provide health services, promote environmental health, safe water and nutritional support to achieve good health for the people.

Vision

AVHA envisions a healthy community in which individuals, families and communities take charge of their health and are able to play their role in the development of the country. This vision aspires for the realization of a healthy and developed community.

Core Values

AVHA works with integrity and commitment to improve the health of the people and strives to be fully accountable, transparent and cost effective. We are committed to learning and innovation and to giving our full support to the schools education programme.