In Bweramule Sub-County, Ntoroko district, community members have come together to form a group to make a positive economic and health impact in the community. The Basambo United group was formed in April 2023 to improve the income status of members and promote public health initiatives through activities such as health outreaches, hygiene and sanitation campaigns, and Sexual reproductive health and rights sensitizations.

By embracing saving for health and investing in local health insurance, Basambo United group is ensuring that community members have access to locally sustainable initiatives through which they can keep and access emergency health funds.

The nearest public health facility, Karugutu Health Center IV, is about 10 miles away, and just getting there costs at least 20,000 UGX in transport fees—an amount that doubles if an emergency occurs at night. As a result, many community members faced with financial constraints delay seeking treatment, as a way of trying to avoid the expenses. This has in many occasions worsened the health conditions, leading to even more expenses.

With 35 dedicated members (17 men and 18 women), Basambo United group was inspired to start saving for health after receiving training on financial management and saving for health from Kasangaki Edward, a Village Health Team member trained by Enabel to support existing community saving groups to embrace saving for health in their programmes. The group chairperson, Baluku Daniel, said that the knowledge they acquired from the training was in line with their core objective of starting the group.

As a result, the group has so far saved 2,000,000 UGX specifically for the members’ healthcare needs. “Each member contributes 2,000 UGX every week to the collective health fund, allowing them to provide financial assistance through interest-free loans to those requiring healthcare services such as maternity, transport to facilities, and buying prescribed medicine”, said Baluku.   He said that 996,000 UGX has already been borrowed by 20 members, and about half the amount was successfully repaid.

Baluku Daniel recalls a sad incident last year that reinforced the need for group members to embrace the saving for health initiative. “Early last year, a mother lost a pregnancy because she did not have enough money to facilitate her transport to the health center in time. By the time funds were mobilized, complications had set in, and she had to be referred immediately. Unfortunately, it was too late”, he narrated. This incident served as a wake-up call for the community, highlighting the urgency of participating in saving for health.

The expectant mothers who are now part of the savings group have peace of mind, knowing that they will not struggle with last-minute financial hurdles. “Compared to other pregnant women, expectant mothers who save for health worry less about transport to health facilities and the cost of maternity services”, said Baluku. He also emphasizes the importance of men supporting their wives in this effort, ensuring that every family is prepared for such critical moments. With a private health facility, Masindi Medical Center being the closest and easily accessible, the group encouraged each member to save at least 50,000 UGX to access essential healthcare services.

Dr. Kato, the Director, Masindi Medical Center, acknowledges the commitment of the community members to take charge of their health by saving for health in the groups. Every month, the facility delivers an average of 40 mothers, many of whom come from Bweramule and neighboring sub-counties. He applauds Basambo United’s initiative, noting that community-driven healthcare models can bridge critical healthcare gaps.

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