Saturday 2 May 2015

SEFA ORGANIC CELEBRATES A DECADE OF POSITIVE GROWTH IN HERBAL MEDICINE INNOVATION

Plot 56 Bombo Road
KALMAX Building which Houses Sefa Organic


Sefa Organic Overview
SEFA Organic is an initiative that promotes the use and production of organic and natural health products.
 
The Headquarters is located at Plot 56, Bombo Road on KALMAX Building – near Wandegeya (opposite YMCA). There is a branch on Get - in - House, William Street next to Church House behind Crane Bank, and also in Masaka on Kwewaayo Building.
We are operational in all areas of Uganda and subsequent branches shall be opened in all regions in the country where possible. Currently, we have Monthly Community Outreach Programs in Mityana, Buwama, Kanoni, Lyantonde and Nakaseke.
 
Vision:
To become the leading Ugandan Herbal Medicine Dealer.
 
Mission:
To tackle health problems among Ugandans at a low cost rate while eliminating long term side effects. 
 
Objectives:
·         To advocate for the use of natural health products
·         To document best practices of herbal medicine use.
·         Promote co-operation and coordination through resource sharing.
·         Carry out research to attain efficacy and safety of herbal remedies.
·         To conserve and preserve existing medicinal plant/herbs through gardening.
 
Contact: 
Tel: +256772443187 / 0704443187
Email: sefaorganic@yahoo.com

 
 Dr. Ntege Sad the C. E. O

In the 10 years of existence, we have achieved a lot in terms of experience.
We have two Awards for our achievements; have showcased our products on different platforms including both local and international exhibitions.
 
 The Outlook of the Reception area at Sefa Organic Headquarters 
 
We command the biggest share of the market and the highest respect among our competitors.


 A few of the Medicinal products at Sefa Organic
 
So many people continue to testify about SEFA Organic services, and this goes to show that we have influenced a sizable number of people directly or indirectly about the use of herbal medicine in Uganda.
 
 A Variety of Products
 
We have acquired professional friends that have helped intensify research for product quality/substitution and innovation.
We have trained quite a good number of professionals and enthusiasts that have gone ahead in starting their own establishments basing on the knowledge and experience acquired. Many other players have also joined herbal business after witnessing the successes of SEFA as a positive model.
Progress has been registered in authenticating our remedies with the National Drug Authority and packaging has greatly been improved compared to the way it was previously done.
We continue to change the lives and knowledge of people through our sensitization programs that aired on Radio, T.V and published in Newspapers.
We continue to work tirelessly harder to be the leading producers of herbal medicine. We have an Architectural Impression of a fully fledged production unit and Clinical Laboratory.
 

 Some of the herbal medicine gardens

We started a herbal garden and it is will open soon to the public for herbal identification, demonstration purposes, picnics and to students especially Botanists that will have a hands-on experience.
As we celebrate the 10 years, we have organized a text book entitled “ENSULO Y’OBULAMU” – a detailed handbook covering extensively selected herbal species and ailments. It is bilingual; English and Luganda with graphical representations.
We want to thank all those that have stood with us throughout this period, including our dedicated clients, well wishers partners and our competitive friends.
 
 Staff Resources
SEFA boasts of over 50 employees, professional and support staff, stationed and outsourced. These include medical practitioners, laboratory technicians, research scientists, botanists and knowledgeable indigenous personalities.
With such a workforce of skilled and energetic staff, we have the capacity to identify, diagnose and isolate ailments and attend to them in a designated way.
 
We have a fully equipped ultra-sound scan and laboratory that enables our specialist doctors to diagnose complicated ailments.
From our practice, and based on experience and testimonies, it is absolutely true that most, if not all ailments can best be cured using herbal remedies with or without the combination of conventional medicine.
This is evident mainly with degenerative health problems which in full context are seen to be caused by lifestyle, environmental, psychological and physiological factors and include diabetes, Allergies, auto immune problems such as rheumatoid arthritis, etc.
 
Herbs have adequate ingredients that work with wholesomeness to help in regeneration of body cells, nourish internal organs, disarm pathogens and boost immune systems. However, it requires lots of practice and ingenuity to formulate effective herbal remedies that tackle complicated health problems.
We are accomplishing this by engaging in repetitive research and carry out both lab and clinical trials. Research is done systematically by identifying the medicinal herb by a team of specialist botanists, analyse its phytochemistry, combine herbs that have a synergetic interaction, determine mode of extraction that will enable preserve all of the ingredients and subject them to randomized clinical trials.
We publish the usefulness of these herbs including toxicity and precaution to our clients to enable them to appreciate nature and carry out first aid, supplements and conserve the gems. Most of these findings are documented online, i.e. the website, and social media outlets.
 
We also have a weekly radio talk show on CBS 88.8 on Saturday at 7.15am. This talk show helps us interact with the masses to get feedback both positive and negative to help us regulate our services regularly.
 
Constraints faced by Sefa Organic
Like any other profession, we also face constraints but our determination and focus always helps us overcome them. 
They include clashes with the conventional medical practitioners who are misinformed by the usefulness of herbs, they always paint a negative picture about our practices but we do as much as we can to disprove them with evidence based documentation.
There is a bias among our communities who always associate natural medicine with traditional witch doctors, this notion has made the public reluctant to use herbal medicine but we never tire to educate them.
Deforestation, swamp reclamation and extensive practices on land use have threatened the extinction of herbs. This makes harvesting extremely difficult especially when you need these medicinal plants in high volumes. We have however advocated for sensitization programs, use out-growers and setting up herbal gardens to solve this issue. This has increased the cost of production.
There is constant need to educate the public as regards efficacy and safety of these herbal remedies and most times this consumes both time and money – very scarce resources.