Ugunja Community Resource Center (UCRC) is a non-governmental organization in Ugunja, a rural town in Siaya District, western Kenya. It was established in 1987 by a group of villagers who sought to improve their livelihoods as well as that of their fellow community members by creating an accessible resource hub--a place where villagers could come to communicate with one another, share challenges, exchange ideas, and work together toward common goals. UCRC's original identity was a unique one: it had the region's only library.
Two decades years later, UCRC’s mission remains essentially unaltered: to promote sustainable development in western Kenya through networking and knowledge exchange. Instead of committing itself to a particular cause, UCRC’s guiding commitment is to a particular community: the people of Ugunja, which has a catchment area of 17,000 people. In fact, UCRC is the community; it was founded and is led entirely by lifelong residents of the local village. Today, UCRC oversees a variety of programs in order to address the whole spectrum of needs and challenges of the people of Ugunja. UCRC’s programs include sustainable agriculture, health care, women’s empowerment, microfinance, information and communication technology, early childhood development, secondary education, vocational training, human rights advocacy and youth activism. Because it is so firmly based in and integrated with the community, UCRC marshals strong local expertise, social capital and moral commitment to promote effective, equitable and sustainable community development in western Kenya.
While fundamentally a locally-run organization, UCRC believes strongly in the importance of partnership. UCRC’s program partners include: Africa Now, American Jewish World Service, Canadian Crossroads International, CARE Kenya, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Christian Health Association of Kenya, Common Hope for Health, Government of Kenya, Microsoft Corporation, Peace and Development Network, Rotary International, SEED Microfinance, TEAR Australia, United Methodist Church, World Agroforestry Centre and World Youth International. By managing these diverse partnerships, UCRC has earned accolades for its efficient management, capable financial administration and relentless focus on concrete results.
In 2005, in collaboration with individuals who would later found Common Hope for Health, UCRC established St. Paul’s Health Centre (SPHC) with the vision of integrating primary health care delivery with the full set of services that UCRC provides to its clients. The mission of St. Paul’s Health Centre is to promote spiritual, mental, social and physical well-being through prevention of disease, care for the sick, support for the needy and advocacy for the vulnerable. Prevention, care, support and advocacy: this broad mandate drives St. Paul’s Health Centre to provide comprehensive, high-quality services to all individuals, irrespective of their ability to pay.
St. Paul’s Health Centre is officially registered with the Kenyan Ministry of Health as an outpatient health centre specializing in primary health care, maternal and child health, community outreach and HIV services. St. Paul’s currently treats 800 outpatients per month, performs essential laboratory diagnostics, provides antenatal care, performs deliveries, conducts daily mobile clinics in remote villages and promotes healthy behavior and prevention.
Through St. Paul’s, UCRC provides comprehensive care, treatment and support to 350 people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHAs), with 94 individuals receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). True to its community-based origins, the HIV program is rooted in the community. In accordance with the GIPA principle, the clients of the HIV program are integrally involved: they maintain a support group led by four officers, and together they organize meetings and festivals to promote HIV prevention and positive living with HIV. UCRC also integrates its HIV services with its other programs (agricultural training, micro loans, early childhood development), thus providing a comprehensive, one-stop solution for PLHAs who wish to improve their livelihoods.