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Cascadia-Kigatto Community Health Clinic logo

Cascadia-Kigatto Community Health Clinic

Our service and program

Comprehensive care, rooted in community.

Below is the full menu of services offered at the clinic. Walk in, call ahead, or ask any of our Community Health Workers — we will meet you wherever you are.

Vaccinations

Vaccines keep our children strong and protect the whole village.

  • Baby and child immunizations
  • Tetanus boosters, hepatitis vaccines, HPV vaccines for girls, and seasonal or outbreak‑related vaccines from the Ministry of Health
  • Community vaccination days so families don't have to travel far
Children receiving vaccinations

These are our children — the reason the clinic will open in August. When the doors open, every child in Kigatto will have a place to receive their vaccines without walking far from home.

Community members in front of the CKCHC clinic

Our people — standing in front of the clinic they helped build. When we open in August 2026, this will be the door families in Kigatto come to when they are sick, and the door that will never turn them away.

Primary Care

Day-to-day care for the illnesses families face most often, along with long-term support for chronic conditions.

  • Fever, cough, stomach pain and common infections
  • Chronic disease management including high blood pressure
  • Wound care and dressing changes
  • Hospital referrals when higher-level care is needed

Maternal and Child Health

Care for mothers, babies and growing children, from the first pregnancy checkup through the first years of life.

  • Pregnancy checkups and antenatal screening
  • Delivery planning with the nearest hospital
  • Baby weight and developmental monitoring
  • Nutrition support for mothers and children
Maternal health care

When the clinic opens in August 2026, every mother in Kigatto will have a place to come for her pregnancy checkups, her baby's first weighing, and the care that her family deserves — right here on the hillside, without traveling far.

Community elders near clinic

Elders and neighbors gathered in Kigatto — when an emergency strikes in our village, the clinic opening in August will mean no more long rides on a bicycle to reach help. The door will be minutes away.

"Before the clinic, when someone was hurt, we would carry them on a bicycle for hours. When the doors open in August, there will be a door right here in our village. That will change everything."

— Community member, Kigatto village

Emergency and First Aid

When minutes matter, our clinic is the closest door for stabilization and transport coordination.

  • Injury treatment and first response
  • Snakebite first aid
  • Transport assistance to hospitals

Laboratory and Screening

Rapid diagnostics on-site mean treatment can begin the same day, without losing patients to a long journey.

  • Malaria testing
  • HIV testing with confidential counseling
  • Blood and urine tests
  • TB testing
CKCHC clinic building

The Cascadia-Kigatto Community Health Clinic on the hillside in Kigatto — when we open in August 2026, families will no longer travel far for a malaria test or blood results. The lab will be right here, in our own village.

Women of Kigatto

Women of Kigatto — our Community Health Workers will walk this same ground, visiting every home, sitting with every family, and bringing care and knowledge to every doorstep when the clinic opens in August 2026.

CHWs in the Community

Our Community Health Workers go where care is needed most; into homes, villages, and gathering places across the Kigatto region.

  • Visiting families and elders
  • Supporting vaccination days
  • Teaching about sanitation, malaria prevention, and nutrition
  • Identifying people who need clinic care

Community Health Worker Support

Umar developed a CHW Training Manual guided mainly by the OHSU School of Nursing and the OHSU‑PSU School of Public Health, blending that academic foundation with the practical wisdom of the people of Kigatto to make it clear, culturally grounded, and easy to use in daily life.

  • Promotes evidence-based, culturally responsive care
  • Community-reviewed for relevance and accessibility
  • Supports CHWs in providing care that respects local knowledge and traditions
  • Used to guide regular training and refresher sessions
  • Supports mentorship and supervision from clinic staff
Volunteer as a CHW MentorDonate
Community beside clinic water tank

Neighbors and community members gathered beside the clinic water tank in Kigatto — when the clinic opens in August, our Community Health Workers will visit every home on this hillside, sitting with families and carrying care to every doorstep.

CHW Training Manual — manual1CHW Training Manual — manual2CHW Training Manual — manual3

Dr. Juuko Vincent and Madam Nakazzi Margaret from Mulago National Referral Hospital presenting the CHW Training Manual to community members at the official launch in Kigatto, April 2026.

Friday Weekly Training Program

A community-driven curriculum that never stops growing.

Every Friday, more of our people gather; the young ones, elders, mothers, and fathers to learn how to keep our villages healthy. Our Village and Community Health Workers train together using a simple, repeatable program shaped by Umar’s OHSU Public Health background and, most importantly, his OHSU School of Nursing training and clinical experience. The manual they follow is strong because it blends Umar’s education with the deep wisdom of the people of Kigatto, making the lessons clear, culturally grounded, and easy to use in daily life.

Guided byOHSU School of Nursing and OHSU Public Health 

Prevention and Early Detection

CHWs learn to identify warning signs in households before they become emergencies — malaria, malnutrition, high blood pressure and more — using evidence-based screening tools adapted for community settings.

Culturally Grounded Practice

The curriculum is drawn from the CHW Training Manual co-developed with the community. Language, examples and teaching methods reflect local knowledge and are reviewed by community members for clarity and relevance.

Continuous Skill-Building

Each Friday session reinforces and extends prior learning. Topics rotate through vaccination support, maternal and child health, sanitation, mental health awareness and emergency first aid — so CHWs stay sharp across the full scope of their role.

Community-Centered Leadership

The program is driven by the community, not imposed on it. Village elders, families and the CHWs themselves shape the curriculum priorities, ensuring that training always reflects what people actually need.

Umar Ndiwalana — OHSU School of Nursing & OHSU–PSU School of Public Health

Volunteer as a CHW Mentor

Our impact to date

Every number is a neighbor.

From the first patient who walked through our doors to the families we visited last week ; here is what the clinic has done with the trust and support of so many.

By the numbers

Aug 2026
Clinic opening — doors open for every family
28
CHWs are in training and excited to serve the community
2
Clean borehole wells built, serving hundreds of families
5+
Villages in our catchment area

Weekly growth in CHW participation

Attendance grows every single week.

We originally planned for a small cohort of thirty participants. But because this project belongs to the community, we do not turn anyone away. Whoever comes is welcomed with open arms.

Attendance has grown every single week, showing how hungry our people are for this vital knowledge.

CHW Training Attendance Summary — May & June 2026

Date Topic Covered Attended Children
03.05.2026 Introduction 26 —
08.05.2026 Continuous CHWs roles and responsibilities 37 —
15.05.2026 Public Health Foundations 42 —
22.05.2026 Continuous Public Health Foundations 51 —
29.05.2026 Handwashing demonstration and Community Disease Mapping 53 —
05.06.2026 Maternal, newborn and child health introduction 34 20
12.06.2026 Caring for newborns, newborn danger signs, keeping the baby warm, breastfeeding and infant feeding, exclusive breastfeeding, and complementary feeding after six months 18 10
19.06.2026 Immunization, common childhood illnesses, case study discussion 71 35
26.06.2026 Newborn care demonstration, conclusion of topic, and introduction to nutrition and growth monitoring 29 13
Children column recorded from June 2026 onward.

03 May 2026 · First Session

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26 community members gathered under the open sky

26 community members gathered under the open sky

Together with the people of Kigatto

Together with the people of Kigatto and the surrounding villages, we have already taken important steps toward a healthier, stronger community.

May 3, 2026

First CHW Training Cohort Begins

Training began for local Village and Community Health Workers, equipping them with essential skills to support families and strengthen community-level care.

Umar's language was easy for us. Even the English manual — my son read it to me, and I understood it.

— Sheik Musa

Village and Community Health Workers gathering for the first training cohort, May 2026.

2026

Clinic Land Secured — Opening August 2026

Land for the clinic is secured, and construction is nearly complete as we prepare to open in August 2026.

This clinic is ours. We built it with our own hands. Before now, no one ever came to teach us health care in our own language. But our son, together with his friends from America, has done it for us.

— Mr. Kifa Omusana Ismail

The Cascadia-Kigatto Community Health Clinic building on the hillside in Kigatto, nearly complete ahead of the August 2026 opening.

April 2026

CHW Training Manual Officially Launched

The Community Health Workers Training Manual, developed by Umar using OHSU Public Health and OHSU School of Nursing guidelines, was officially launched. It promotes evidence-based, culturally responsive care and was reviewed by community members for clarity and relevance.

I don't trust vaccines. But I trust Umar. He is our son. When the clinic opens, all my children will be vaccinated there.

— Village Elder

Dr. Juuko Vincent and Madam Nakazzi Margaret from Mulago National Referral Hospital presenting the CHW Training Manual to community members at the official launch in Kigatto.

2023

Back-to-School Supplies Delivered

Through the generosity of Mama Mary Rossi and her friends, back-to-school supplies have been provided for five rural schools in the surrounding region.

Students from five rural schools in the Kigatto region gathered to receive back-to-school supplies, 2026.

2022

Two Clean Borehole Wells Built

Two clean borehole wells were built — one funded by Mama Mary Rossi and the other through the "A Well for Wellness in Umar's Village" GoFundMe campaign — bringing safe water to hundreds of families.

View GoFundMe Campaign

One of the two clean borehole wells built in 2023, bringing safe water to hundreds of families.

Every patient visit, every vaccination, every home visit is made possible by supporters like you.

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