From the beginning of the Lwengo Widows and Orphans Support Organization Limited in 2012, staff have included health and well-being activities in every project. All children in the educational sponsorship program are tested for HIV/AIDS and wormed when they enter the program, and LWOSO staff conduct home visits with the families of the children to understand and assist with home needs. Students’ parents or guardians meet with LWOSO staff at Shepherd High School during the school year to learn about the children’s learning and health and wellness activities, and all sponsored students receive two hot meals each day at both the primary and secondary schools.

The women who take part in the micro-credit groups also assist each other with health and well-being activities. All members bring the member who is hosting the meeting food items, and group members have helped other members obtain needed cooking supplies, clean up their compounds, and members of one group even built a pit latrine for a group member.

At Shepherd High School, a small health clinic was established on school grounds in 2018, and a full-time school nurse was employed to provide testing when appropriate for malaria, HIV/AIDS, and covid. The nurse also is there to assist and evaluate students who become sick at school and to do referrals when needed to the Katovu Health Clinic. The school nurse also provides health education classes for students at Shepherd High School and will be involved in future community health fairs at the school. At Shepherd High School, a hand washing station and clean water dispenser were installed on school grounds so that students can easily wash their hands and fill their water bottles with clean drinking water, and during the pandemic, LWOSO distributed food, soap, and lighters for cooking at Shepherd High School to the families of children in the sponsorship program and other community members in need.

Shepherd High School is also connected with community health and safety agencies. For example, in the past students swept and cleaned the grounds of the local health clinic and LWOSO staff brought the District Fire Brigade to the school so that all students and staff could learn about fire prevention and safety procedures, and a fire alarm was secured in every Shepherd High School room with fire extinguishers on every building. LWOSO believes that health and well-being should be an important part of the school environment and curriculum.