KYENGERA WOMEN’S HOSPITAL

The Daughters of Mary is a Catholic Nursing Order in Uganda, whose mission is to care for the most underprivileged people in their community.

For many years It had been their aim to have a hospital dedicated to women and children in Kampala, and in 2010 a benefactor agreed to finance the building of a hospital at Kyengera, a deprived area on the outskirts of Kampala. Building work started and by the end of 2015 the majority of the building had been completed, but at this stage the money ran out and the Order was left with a hospital building with no operating theatre, outpatients department or any internal fittings.

Kyengera Hospital, almost completed

The Sisters tried to raise funds to complete the work, but the amount needed was considerably more than they could raise. The Covid pandemic made matters worse. Sister Maria Goretti Namuwulya was then appointed Administrator at the hospital. Sister Maria had been the Administrator at Kitovu Hospital, and knew that the Rotary Doctor Bank had sent many volunteers there over the years and had supported the building of a new X-ray block, so in desperation she contacted Dr Jim McWhirter, who is a member of the Management Committee of the Rotary Doctor Bank, and asked if there was anything that Rotary could do to help.

Dr McWhirter had a great deal of experience in refurbishing Mission Hospitals in Uganda, having carried out major refurbishments at Kamuli Hospital and Freda Carr Hospital near Ngora. Shortly after Sister Maria’s request, Dr Jim and some members of the Rotary Club of Reading Matins, happened to be visiting Uganda to attend the Centenary Celebrations at Freda Carr hospital, so they visited Kyengera to find out exactly what was needed. Jim has great experience in raising money for the various projects he has carried out in Uganda, so he once again started fundraising and on 6^th October 2023, after a lapse of 8 years, work resumed at the hospital.

On 4^th March 2024 Kyengera Women’s Hospital finally opened its doors, with an out patients’ department, antenatal and maternity services and an immunisation clinic.

The Rotary Club of Reading Matins has submitted an application to the Rotary Foundation for a Global Grant to equip the operating theatre. When this has been approved, the new Women’s Hospital will be fully operational.