Uganda school project funded by Hampshire Rotary turns lives around for 400 children
A Hampshire teenager’s return trip to Uganda revealed how £30,000 from Winchester Rotary has funded a neonatal unit that saved lives, while a new school for displaced children now educates 400 pupils daily.
A 17-year-old Hampshire student has documented how a £30,000 Rotary International global grant transformed emergency healthcare in western Uganda, after witnessing a mother and newborn die under a tree during a 2025 visit.
Zephan Mwangi, accompanied by Winchester Rotary members, returned to Kasese district in February 2026 to inspect projects funded since his last trip. The centrepiece is a 12-bed neonatal unit at Rukoki Health Centre, equipped with incubators, oxygen concentrators and trained staff—launched three months ago and credited with preventing avoidable infant deaths.
📋 By The Numbers
- £30,000 — Global grant from Rotary International to build and equip the neonatal unit
- 12 beds — Capacity of the new unit, with two dedicated to intensive care
- 400 — Daily pupil attendance at the newly built displacement camp school
- 5 — Sewing machines purchased for women’s cooperative after £3,500 raised by UK clubs
Among beneficiaries is Nuria Komugisha, a 24-year-old with severe mobility issues who now runs a baking business after attending a vocational course funded by local partners. “She handed us warm scones minutes after they came out of the oven,” Mwangi said. “That’s the moment you realise money isn’t just numbers—it’s real change.”
Key Projects
- ✅ Neonatal unit at Rukoki Health Centre — £30,000 grant
- ⚡ Displacement camp school — new brick structure replaces wooden hut
- 💡 Women’s sewing cooperative — five machines and training provided
At Bwera Special Needs School, headteacher Grace Asiimwe showed off adapted learning tools, including braille keyboards and sensory boards, purchased with funds raised by Awbridge Women’s Institute. “These tools mean a child who can’t see can still write and read,” Asiimwe said. “It’s not charity; it’s equity.”
| Project | 2025 Status | 2026 Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Neonatal Unit | Planned under tree | 12-bed facility operational |
| School Building | Wooden hut | Brick school housing 400 pupils |
| Women’s Sewing | No equipment | Five industrial machines in use |
Local health workers and Rotary volunteers from Winchester also ran an antimicrobial resistance workshop at Kigali’s Serena Hotel, training 45 clinicians and community health workers on safe antibiotic prescribing. “We heard stories of patients buying half a course of antibiotics because they couldn’t afford more,” Mwangi said. “That’s how resistance spreads.”
💡 Pro Tip
Ask local NGOs for impact reports before donating. Small organisations often publish audited accounts showing exactly how funds are used—transparency beats marketing every time.
The trip concluded at Rukoki displacement camp, where pupils ate a hot lunch of biryani and meat, funded by a donation drive organised by Sue Daley, a long-time supporter of the Great Lakes Peace Centre. “These children have lost everything,” Mwangi wrote. “But they still line up for school, still sing the national anthem, still believe in tomorrow.”
- 📊 90% of neonatal cases at Rukoki now arrive within the first hour of labour—up from 30% before the unit opened
- 🔍 Women in the sewing cooperative now earn £80–£120 monthly, enough to send children to school
- ⚠️ The displacement camp school remains under-resourced; Rotary UK has committed to funding desks and latrines in 2027
Mwangi, who plays electric guitar, also spent an afternoon jamming with the Kasese Music Project, a band of street children learning music as a livelihood skill. “They played ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ better than some bands I know,” he said. “That’s the power of opportunity.”
- Neonatal unit launch — February 2026, funded by £30,000 Rotary global grant
- Displacement camp school completion — March 2026, serving 400 children daily
- Women’s sewing initiative scaling — Five machines operational; orders received from Kampala hotels
The projects form part of a broader partnership between Winchester Rotary UK and the Great Lakes Peace Centre, active since 2018. To date, the alliance has raised over £110,000 for health, education and women’s empowerment initiatives across Kasese and Bwera districts.