Transforming Rural Health and Rights, One Community at a Time

At Rural Smiles Foundation, we believe that good health and human rights are the foundation of sustainable development.
That’s why we launched the Integrated Community Health and Rights Program (ICHARP) — a bold initiative designed to close health gaps, protect human rights, and empower rural communities across Kibaale District and beyond.

Through ICHARP, we combine healthcare access, rights-based advocacy, and community leadership to create an environment where every person — regardless of gender, location, or income — can live with dignity, health, and opportunity.

🎯 What Is ICHARP?

ICHARP is a holistic program that integrates health service delivery with human rights education and empowerment.
It recognizes that barriers to healthcare are often intertwined with systemic inequalities like land injustice, discrimination, and lack of civic participation.

Our goal is simple:
Healthy, resilient, and rights-aware rural communities.

Through ICHARP, we work hand-in-hand with community members, health centers, schools, local councils, and human rights defenders to make health and rights a reality for everyone.

🛠️ Core Components of ICHARP

• Healthcare Access:
  Delivering community health outreach, non-communicable disease (NCD) screenings, cervical and breast cancer awareness, and mental health support services.
• Rights Education:
  Conducting community trainings on health rights, land rights, gender justice, and civic space protection, ensuring communities understand and can defend their rights.
• Community Leadership Development:
  Training women, youth, paralegals, and local council leaders to become champions for health and human rights in their own communities.
• Solar Health Center Support (Planned for 2026):
  Starting in 2026, ICHARP will power rural health centers such as Mugarama Health Centre III and Bubango Health Centre II with sustainable solar energy to improve maternity services, vaccine storage, and night-time healthcare delivery.

📍 Where We Work

The pilot phase of ICHARP is active in:

• Mugarama Subcounty, Kibaale District
• Bubango Subcounty, Kibaale District

These rural areas, historically underserved, now serve as the foundation for demonstrating how integrated, community-driven programs can create systemic change.

✨ Achievements So Far

• ✅ Trained over 50 rural health champions and paralegals on rights-based advocacy and community mobilization.
• ✅ Reached over 800+ community members through health rights education, screening services, and community dialogues.
• ✅ Established partnerships with health facilities and local governments to prepare for upcoming solar system installations and program scale-up.
• ✅ Strengthened collaboration between healthcare workers, civil society, and policymakers on rural health rights and service improvements.

💬 Voices From the Community

"Through Rural Smiles Foundation, we now understand our health rights and the services we deserve. Our voices are stronger, and change is happening."
— Florence, Community Health Rights Ambassador

"The planned solar installations will transform our maternity ward services. We are excited and looking forward to having safer nights for mothers and babies."
— Health Worker, Bubango Health Centre II

Why ICHARP Matters

In rural Uganda, healthcare challenges are not just about distance or cost — they are deeply tied to rights, power, and voice.
By integrating health services and human rights education, ICHARP addresses root causes, empowering communities to advocate for better systems while simultaneously improving immediate access to life-saving services.

Healthy communities are the foundation of resilient, rights-respecting societies.