RESUMO
Background: PACODET is a community generated and controlled trust formed in 1989 to promote primary health and environment care (PHC/PEC) in a population of about 60;000 people in the ten neihgbouring parishes in the five sub-counties of Kibale; Kameke; Agule; Putiputi and Butebo in Pallisa district of Eastern Uganda. The project area is generally a flat wooded savannah plain interspersed by low granite rocks with extensive encroached woodlands and etlands. this area was intensively hit by isnecurity in 1987. The tribes Iteso and Bagwere live in the area. they are subsistence farmers growing legumes and tubers as the main food crops. Rice and cotton are grown as cash crops. People are generally poor; education status is poor and communciation systems are lacking. Major diseases affecting people are malaria; respiratory infections and diarrhoea. Before the project was started and the nearest health unit - Pallisa hospital - was over 20 miles away. Illness among mothers and children was frequent. This led students and people in Kapuwai to initiate the PHC/PEC project.Objective of Paper: This paper presents an overview of the PACODET Community financing of PHC/PEC project. Specific areas covered in this paper include organisation; health activities carried out; resource mobilised; management; and lessons learnt since 1989
