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Health

Conservation of Kibale National Park depends on healthy children and communities

We provide a holistic approach to conservation through health education and disease prevention in children and communities surrounding Kibale National Park

Healthy kids and communities help conserve wildlife and wild places. Our health education program focuses on research-informed strategies. 
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Our legacy of expertise, innovation, trust, collaboration and results makes The Kasiisi Project a truly unique and trusted force for conservation.
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WE MEANINGFULLY CONTRIBUTE TO THE HEALTH OF KIBALE COMMUNITIES THROUGH HEALTH EDUCATION, MEDICAL SUPPORT AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

HEALTH EDUCATION

HELPING CHILDREN LEAD HEALTHIER, MORE PRODUCTIVE LIVES

The Kasiis Project's school-based health education program targets factors that put children at risk, such as teenage pregnancy, HIV and other diseases, poor nutrition and lack of clean water. In doing so, we promote learning, ensure children are healthy, and simultaneously reduce absenteeism.

GIRLS SUPPORT

LEAVING NO GIRLS BEHIND

In rural Uganda, only about 50% of girls complete their primary education. This contributes to a range of serious challenges, including a high teen pregnancy rate of 25%, disproportionately high HIV infection rates among girls and women, and one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. However, educated girls are more likely to lead healthier lives, marry later, have fewer children, raise healthier families, earn higher incomes, and reinvest in their communities. We are committed to keeping girls in school because education not only reduces vulnerabilities but also empowers them to reach their full potential. 

PARENT ENGAGEMENT

EQUIPPING PARENTS TO DISCUSS SEXUALITY

By providing training and tools to help parents effectively and accurately discuss sensitive sexuality topics, we improve children's sexual and reproductive health behaviors and outcomes.

OUR HEALTH INITIATIVES

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HEALTH EDUCATION

HEALTH CLUBS

Our after-school Health Clubs are dedicated to keeping students healthy by offering vital skills and targeted education to foster healthy living, with a special focus on issues impacting girls. We enrolled 620 Health Club members across 16 schools in 2025 and our lessons touched on a variety of locally relevant topics, including nutrition, hygiene, proper food storage, reproductive health and disease prevention. 
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GIRLS SUPPORT

RUMPS

Since 2015, a key initiative has been teaching Health Club members how to make reusable menstrual pads (RUMPs), an essential skill, as many adolescent girls struggle to access reliable menstrual hygiene products, which can hinder their ability to stay in school. This training is provided to both boys and girls, alongside education on puberty and reproductive health, ensuring that all students are equipped with the knowledge they need for a healthier future. To date, we have directly trained 5,440 students through our RUMPs program, which has proven both popular and effective in reducing menstruation-related absenteeism.

In 2025, our RUMPs training directly reached approximately 640 individuals. Additionally, 79% of the girls trained to make RUMPs passed on this valuable skill to family members and friends, further expanding the impact of the program. In a 2024 survey of 416 girls, 92% reported rarely or never missing school due to menstruation, thanks to the availability and use of RUMPs.

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HEALTH

VACCINATIONS

While the Ugandan government provides vaccines, rural schools like ours often miss out on these services. Therefore, our health team organizes HPV (Human Papillomavirus) and tetanus vaccination clinics for students. In 2025, we collected data to assess the impact of this facilitation on student vaccination rates and discovered that 80% of eligible students in our 16 schools were vaccinated against HPV and tetanus, compared to just 44% of students in 6 nearby schools not participating in our clinics. Thus, these clinics are vital for expanding vaccine access in rural areas and we are committed to continuing this important work.
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PARENT ENGAGEMENT

INCREASING PARENTAL GUIDANCE

Working with a large group of stakeholders, we've developed educational materials and a sustainable support network to help parents serve as primary sources of sexual and reproductive health information. The project has been generously funded by the Conservation, Food, and Health Foundation.
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HEALTH

MOBILE CLINICS

In partnership with local brick-and-mortar clinics and the Uganda Wildlife Authority, our health team operates a mobile health clinic that provides affordable medical services to remote villages around Kibale, where access to healthcare is limited. During each clinic visit, our conservation educators also engage with patients and their families, delivering conservation-based educational programming on topics relevant to forest-edge communities, such as how to build an improved cookstove for reduced fuelwood consumption and tippy-taps to help prevent disease transmission from humans to chimpanzees through proper hand hygiene.

The Kibale area has one of the highest HIV infection rates in Uganda, so HIV testing and counseling are essential services provided by the mobile clinic. In addition, the clinic offers general medical check-ups, blood testing, gynecological and obstetric care, and basic family planning services. In 2025, the clinic visited 7 villages, engaged over 6,000 people, and treated over 550 patients, with women making up the majority (58%) of those served. 

"He who has health has hope, and he who has hope has everything."

- Arab Proverb