Uganda’s maternal and newborn health sector has received a significant boost following the graduation of the first cohort of health workers trained under the Rotary Global Grant initiative Empowering Families, Growing Futures.
The graduation ceremony, scheduled to take place at St. Francis Hospital Nsambya, will mark the completion of a four-week intensive training programme in comprehensive in-service newborn care for nine health workers drawn from nine districts across the country.
The initiative is being implemented by Rotary District 9213, through Mama Toto Care Uganda, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Bulamu Healthcare, which provided technical delivery of the training.
Strengthening newborn care capacity
According to programme officials, the training is designed to strengthen frontline health workers’ capacity to manage high-risk newborn cases and reduce preventable neonatal deaths in Uganda.
Each participant represents an estimated investment of about UGX 6 million, reflecting the programme’s emphasis on long-term capacity building within the public health system.
The trained health workers were selected from high-volume health facilities and are expected to return to their respective districts to support peer learning, mentorship, and improved clinical practice among colleagues.
National and global collaboration
The Empowering Families, Growing Futures programme is funded through a USD 551,000 Rotary Foundation Global Grant and is being implemented across 31 health facilities, including 16 Health Centre IVs and 15 Health Centre IIIs in 14 districts.
The initiative brings together 45 Rotary and Rotaract clubs across Uganda, structured into 10 cohorts, each assigned to support at least one district. The programme also benefits from international Rotary support from partner districts in the United States and Taiwan.
Structured clinical training approach
The Comprehensive In-Service Newborn Care course is a Ministry of Health-certified programme delivered over one month, combining classroom instruction with practical, hands-on clinical training.
It focuses on improving skills in managing premature births, low birth weight infants, and newborn complications, with the broader goal of improving survival outcomes for mothers and newborns.
In addition to newborn care, the programme integrates other key clinical mentorship components, including Essential Newborn Care (ENC) and Helping Mothers Survive (HMS), both aligned with World Health Organization recommendations.
Ceremony details
The graduation ceremony will bring together key stakeholders in the health sector, including representatives from the Ministry of Health, District Health Officers, Rotary leadership, and development partners.
- Date: Friday, June 5, 2026
- Time: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- Venue: St. Francis Hospital Nsambya
- Guest of Honour: District Governor Geoffrey Martin Kitakule
The event will feature presentations on training outcomes, reflections from participants, and the awarding of certificates to graduates.
Expanding impact
Organisers note that while this marks the completion of the first cohort, additional groups of health workers are expected to undergo similar training in subsequent phases across designated health facilities.
The broader aim of the programme is to strengthen Uganda’s primary healthcare system by improving clinical competence at lower-level health facilities, where a significant proportion of maternal and neonatal care is delivered.