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For most women, the vulnerabilities of war go far beyond the violence of battle. In several situations of armed conflict, women suffer some of the greatest health and social injustices in the world. During these active conflicts and in post-conflict societies, violence against women almost always intensifies, leading to drops in women's education and employment and the side-lining of women's human rights.
Kasese District is one of the oldest districts in Uganda. While the district possesses tremendous potential in natural and human resources, a number of internal and regional conflicts have affected its ability to fully utilize these opportunities. Over the years, a number of conflicts like the Rwenzururu resistance wars in the early 1920s and 60s, the NALU rebellion 1989 - 93 and the Allied Democratic Forces war that started in 1996; have all adversely affected the area.
Just like in any other conflicts, a study by a team of IsisWICCE's 2011/12 Institute participants documented a number of ways in which the war and militarism have affected women's health and well being. Majority of them were abducted, widowed, maimed and subjected to all forms of abuse. In addition, the infrastructure for social, economic progress which the population depended on was either destroyed or neglected subjecting them to great suffering.
With government focusing a lot of its spending on security and military expenditure, the health sector in the district has been significantly ignored. Kasese district is generally a mountainous area with most of its people leaving subsistence lives in the mountains.
The mountainous places hardly have any facilities to speak of like health and education. The few existing facilities are found in the low lying areas and this means women have to trek long distances to find a good health centre or facility.
Kagando Health Centre is one of the only referral hospitals in the district and its success has been hinged on direct donor support and church funding. According to Masika Sylvia an enrolled nurse at the hospital, " Majority of the women who need assistance can...