Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja and Katikkiro of Buganda Kingdom, Charles Peter Mayiga, have commended Rotary International for its impactful humanitarian initiatives that have improved the lives of many people across various communities in Uganda.
The two were meeting with Rotary International President, Stephanie Urchick, in separate engagements in Kampala on Tuesday.
The two leaders applauded Rotary for its work in addressing pressing social challenges: fostering community development, improving health care, and enhancing access to clean water.
“Through your tireless efforts, Rotary has made a profound impact on various aspects of Ugandan society. Over the past three years, the Rotary Foundation has funded 80 global grants in Uganda amounting to US$ 10.2 million, including the Rotary-USAID partnership on WASH.BEL—Basic Education and Literacy, CED (Community Economic Development), MCH (Maternal and Child Health), and WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene),” said Nabbanja.
Uganda has nearly 300 Rotary and Rotaract clubs with nearly 8000 Rotarians and Rotaractors spread across all regions of the country.
Nabbanja said that Rotary’s philosophy of “Service Above Self has resonated deeply with the Ugandan people, inspiring countless acts of kindness, compassion, and generosity.
Rotary and Rotaract clubs fund community service activities through global grants from the Rotary Foundation and through local fundraising from Rotary members, corporate partners, and other well-wishers.
“The Basic Education and Literacy Enhancement Program (BELEP), which seeks to enhance literacy and improve reading and strengthen teachers’ capacity to deliver quality basic education, is targeting 500 schools. A total of 10,000 textbooks have also been donated by Rotarians to Early Childhood Development (ECD) centers and primary schools,” Nabbanja said.
The Prime Minister lauded Rotary for the support given to the hospital in Mukono, St. Theresa Ayiko Hospital in Amuru, and rehabilitation of the theatre and maternity ward at Freda Ngora Hospital in Kumi district.
The humanitarian organization has also supported regular immunization drives through the annual Rotary Family Health Days, conducted by Rotary Clubs across the country.
Ten years ago, Rotarians in Uganda embarked on the construction of a specialized center of excellence for pre- and post-cancer care, treatment, and management at St. Francis Hospital Nsambya. To date, over shs 3.5 billion has been realized.
Similarly, Rotary funded the construction of a state-of-the-art blood bank at Mengo Hospital, which was also visited by Rotary International President Urchick.
The Mengo Hospital Rotary Blood Bank performs at 126% by serving over 30 hospitals in the Kampala metropolitan area.
In 2020, Rotary joined efforts to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda and made donations worth shs 1.2 billion in the form of hand-washing equipment, PPEs, foodstuffs, and other supplies to the government and communities around the country.
In 2017, Rotary in Uganda launched a countrywide program known as Mission Green. Over 2 million trees of various species have been planted by Rotarians to protect riverbanks and rehabilitate degraded areas.
Furthermore, the Rotaract Earth Initiative (REI) campaign by Rotaractors in Uganda aims to plant 10 million trees by 2025 to mitigate the effects of climatic change, food insecurity, and primary health care challenges in different parts of the country.
Katikkiro Mayiga commended Rotary for its charitable work done without expectation of returns.
“What we do and what Rotary stands for resonate very much. We are always working with Rotary. Actually, I address Rotarians many times; they invite me to address them on different themes, and I enjoy it all the time, because one of the most fascinating things about Rotary is for one to carry out an exercise out of which one doesn’t expect any reward. I’m talking about monetary reward. You don’t expect anything from which you are going to benefit materially. Now, that’s fascinating, because that’s not how the world works today… Rotarians are not like that at all. They’ve got the villages, and they do the most amazing work for people who they will never meet again,” he said.
“Rotary is a family with whom one would like to work,” he added.
Mayiga reiterated that Buganda Kingdom works on various areas of human interest that have matching interest with Rotary, including vaccination for various diseases such as polio, blood donation, tree planting, and environmental protection, among others.
“You are talking about polio. When people were hesitant to go for immunization, the king took it upon himself to immunize children, and that’s when everybody went and immunized their children. Our king is the goodwill ambassador in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa. Every year, as we commemorate his birthday, we participate in a run, the largest run in Africa. Over 100,000 people take part. And the proceeds are dedicated at the instruction of the king to different health causes: fistula, sickle cell, and HIV. Uganda has about over a million people who are HIV positive, but the remarkable thing is that after the king joined the fight against HIV/AIDS, the infection rate dropped by over 50%. You know, these are the kinds of causes that Rotary, many times, is involved in,” Mayiga said.
On her turn, Urchick commended the partnership between Rotary, the Government of Uganda, and Buganda Kingdom that has significantly improved the lives of many Ugandans.
“I want to share my deep appreciation with everyone who is in this room for the collaboration that happens between Rotary and government and other organizations. You know, we have this beautiful vision statement in Rotary, and it begins with the word together, because by ourselves as an organization, we can get some things done, but when we partner, when we partner with others, that’s when our true abilities really shine. And so, thank you so much for partnering with Rotary to help make the communities better. This community has a gift. This country has a gift, because Rotary is here,” she said.
Urchick said that Rotary does not work for monetary gains but rather creates lasting change for people.
