Uganda is an Amazing Rotary Country, says Rotary International President Stephanie Urchick
Rotary International President Stephanie Urchick has described the blood bank at Mengo Hospital as a shining example of Rotary’s vision and “a model of doing good in the world”. She said blood donation addresses a perennial need, helping communities and saving lives.
Urchick, who arrived in Uganda on Sunday on a week-long visit, toured the Rotary Blood Bank as the first of several impactful Rotary projects that she is scheduled to visit while in the country. She encouraged individuals to donate blood. “If you are a regular blood donor, you lower the risk of heart attack and stroke,” she said. “So, giving blood not only helps others, but is a good thing for us as well. It is my honour to see the great work that you are doing.”
The Rotary Blood Bank was established in 2017 in response to persistent blood shortages in the country, which were previously managed solely by the Uganda Blood Transfusion Services (UBTS). The project was spearheaded by Past Rotary District Governor Emmanuel Katongole, now Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Rotary Blood Bank.
Katongole, who was recently appointed Rotary International Director Nominee for Africa, was inspired by the loss of his teenage sister who bled to death while giving birth in 1969.
“This facility is something that is very personal to me,” he said, adding that he had also been inspired by a woman who died in Soroti due to lack of blood.
Katongole, who is also the executive chairman of Quality Chemical Industries Ltd, revealed plans to establish another blood bank in Soroti in eastern Uganda. He said 27 out of every 100 people who need blood die because they do not get it time or get it at all.
“The need for blood is immense,” said Dr. Dorothy Kyeyune of UBTS.
Timothy Basiima, the Board Chairman of the Rotary Blood Bank, announced the commissioning of two refrigerators and a bio-sealer at the facility, with a new platelet-separation machine expected soon to further improve services.
He commended Katongole for mobilising USD$ 500,000 for the blood bank on top of other grants.
The Mengo facility serves over 30 hospitals in the city and beyond the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area, with performance consistently exceeding targets.
During the same event, the Bishop of Namirembe Diocese, the Rt Rev Moses Banja, was inducted into the Rotary Club of Mengo. He was invited to join Rotary by Director Nominee Katongole and inducted by President Urchick.
“The Rotary model of doing good in the world and service above self represent what we mean to society and communities around us,” Urchick said.
The president, who was accompanied by District Governors Anne Nkutu (9213) and Agnes Batengas (9214), Rotary International Director Nominee Paul Gump, and Trustee Pearl Ijeoma, among others, later paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja at her office in Kampala.
Nabbanja commended Rotary for its significant contributions to health, education, and environmental conservation in Uganda.
She cited the provision of 300 tuktuk ambulances, serving over 100,000 vulnerable women in the countryside, the construction of the Cancer Centre at Nsambya, donations during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the more recent response to the Bulambuli landslides.
“The list of Rotary contributions in Uganda is enormous,” the Prime Minister said.
“This is an amazing Rotary country,” Urchick remarked, emphasizing that membership and partnerships were helping Rotarians to “make a difference in our communities”.
“Each Rotary project creates conditions that are essential for peace to suffice and makes life bearable for the less privileged,” Urchick added.
Nabbanja was also inducted into Rotary by the Rotary International president.
Later in the day, Urchick also paid a courtesy call on the Katikkiro (Prime Minister) of Buganda Kingdom, Charles Peter Mayiga, at Bulange, Mengo.
“One of the most fascinating things about Rotary is participating in an activity where you expect no monetary reward,” Mayiga said. “(Rotary members) go to villages and do amazing work with people they will never meet again. This is a family that everyone would love to work with.”
He said Rotary causes dovetail with Buganda’s initiatives in areas such as health, education, and peace.
The Uganda visit is part of Urchick’s African Magic Tour 2025, which will cover five countries where Rotary, one of the world’s largest service organisations, is making enormous impact. The other countries are Egypt, Kenya, Senegal, and Tunisia.
About President Stephanie Urchick
A holder of a doctorate in leadership studies from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Urchick is the second woman to serve as president of Rotary International. A Rotarian since 1991, she has served in many roles and capacities. Her service includes building a primary school in Vietnam; installing water filters in the Dominican Republic; mentoring new Rotary members in Ukraine; coordinating a Rotary Foundation grant project in Poland; and leading efforts to formulate and adopt Rotary’s Action Plan, a strategic road map that will help bring even more people together to create lasting and positive change in an evolving world.
About Rotary
Rotary unites a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges and creating lasting change. Rotary connects 1.4 million people of action from more than 46,000 Rotary clubs in almost every country in the world. Their service improves lives at both local and international levels. For more information, visit Rotary.org
About Rotary in Uganda
Rotary in Uganda falls under two Districts, 9213 and 9214, which also includes Tanzania. District 9213 brings together a network of nearly 5,000 Rotarians and 2,700 Rotaractors from 129 Rotary and 124 Rotaract Clubs in Uganda. For more information, visit https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50109. In Uganda, District 9214 has about 2,600 Rotarians and 1,600 Rotaractors from 71 Rotary and 72 Rotaract clubs respectively. For more information, visit https://rotaryd9214.org/
CONTACT:
Peter G. Mwesige, Public Image Chair, District 9213
Phone: +256784471527
Email: mwesige@yahoo.com