Makerere University School of Public Health receives $100,000 donation

The Rockefeller Foundation, an American private philanthropy has donated $100,000, which Makerere University will use towards the construction of a new School of Public Health (MakSPH) building in celebration of the University’s centenary this year.

William Asiko, the Vice President in charge of the Africa region at the Rockefeller Foundation, announced the donation following a visit by the Rockefeller Foundation team to the school’s construction site located at Makerere University .

“As a foundation, we are excited to re-engage with Makerere University and the School of Public Health. To that end, we are incredibly proud of the strides the School of Public Health has made since its inception. We look forward to continued collaboration with the school and the university at large,” Asiko said.

The Rockefeller Foundation has supported MakSPH for many years including its support for the construction of the current home of MakSPH 54 years ago and the establishment of the Master of Public Health (MPH) program 28 years ago, which was among the first MPH programs on the African continent.

“Given its location within a region prone to infectious disease outbreaks of epidemic and pandemic potential, this building will accommodate a centre for disease outbreak prevention, preparedness and response research in addition to other centres of excellence. We are extremely grateful to the Rockefeller Foundation for their generosity. Your past financial support has been invaluable to the growth of public health in Uganda, in Africa and globally,” Dr. Rhoda Wanyenze, Professor and Dean, MakSPH said.

Makerere University School of Public Health is one of the oldest and largest public health training institutions in sub-Saharan Africa.

Over the past 15 years, the school has significantly increased student enrollment and staff numbers.

MakSPH offers nine Masters programs and PhD training and is a leading player in public health in the African region with several multi-country, multi- institutional research and capacity building initiatives.

To accommodate this growth, MakSPH has initiated construction of a new building on the Makerere University main campus with an estimated cost of $10 million of the fully fitted building.

The school has so far raised $3.5 million from various fundraising drives.