by Christopher Kennedy | Jun 21, 2018 | ejournal
On June 8, 2018 Nurses Reaching out (NRO) held a celebration event to launch its new status as a UK registered charity at the Anise Bar in London’s Cinnamon Kitchen, writes Brian Dillon. An estimated 1.8 million people were displaced from their homes by the Lord’s Resistane Army in the 1990s. Gulu, in Northern Uganda (pictured above), is seeing improvements in healthcare, thanks to the NRO NRO’s vision is to develop sustainable healthcare for disadvantaged and vulnerable communities in developing countries. Founded in 2009 as an NGO, the move to charitable status follows eight successful years improving nursing and healthcare in Gulu, Northern Uganda. In the 1990s Northern Uganda suffered due to the violence of the Lord’s Resistance Army and by the mid-2000s an estimated 1.8 million people were displaced from their homes. NRO specialises in empowering and supporting nurses to access appropriate, evidenced-based healthcare practices. It was founded in 2009 by Michelle Grainger, a nurse and senior lecturer at Kingston and St George’s University in London with support in Uganda from Vincent Mujune, a public health worker. Originally a team of five volunteers managed operations but this has expanded to eight, with one paid part-time employee in Uganda. The charity aims to make improvements to the care patients receive and the hospital environment. NRO has developed partnerships with local community-based groups to enhance the patient experience and support nursing care. This is achieved through education, developing evidence-based healthcare linked with the distribution of equipment and gifts. NRO has delivered tangible lifesaving and life transforming success. In Uganda, relatives of hospital patients are expected to provide their food and refreshments, which creates a gap...
