News archive

This summer, over 600 of you gave more than £35,000 to our appeal for the Universal Fund. Thank you. After two years on hold, young people in Uganda are back in school, apprenticeships and vocational training, learning trades from tailoring to motor mechanics. Read what your gifts are making possible and where the Fund goes from here.

When James lost his mother to an HIV-related illness, his education nearly ended too. Mildmay's Universal Fund stepped in, covering his school fees so he could stay in education. Today he's a peer educator with Uganda's PIASCY programme, teaching others about HIV prevention, and hopes to train as a doctor. The fund also supports vocational training, healthcare and counselling for vulnerable young people in Uganda. This summer, we're asking supporters to help fund this work fo

Samira grew up in Kampala, left school to support her family, and faced an unplanned pregnancy during Uganda’s COVID-19 lockdown. Thanks to Mildmay’s Universal Fund, she is back in education and preparing for her exams. Our summer appeal will keep this lifeline open for many more young people. Please support the Universal Fund today and help vulnerable children in Uganda reclaim their futures.

Our first Partner-led Small Project, My Pill Box, My Health!, has completed its first quarter. Working with GILO Young Positives Foundation, the team has mapped all 10 ART-providing health facilities in Kassanda District, secured support from district and education leaders, and identified the barriers families face in keeping children on treatment. Next: reaching the children who will benefit directly. Read the full update.

For decades, Mildmay has built international health programmes designed to be handed over to local leaders. Now, a 25-year international aid veteran writing in The Guardian has exposed how traditional donor funding often creates dependency instead of sustainability. Read our latest article on why Mildmay’s model of local ownership, integrated health systems, and planned handovers is being recognised as the right way forward.

Your donations have allowed us to recently send over £20,000 to Uganda, restarting the Universal Fund and launching My Pill Box, My Health! - a youth-led project helping schoolchildren take their HIV medication without stigma. Education, healthcare and hope are being restored for young people who need it most. Thank you for making this possible.

Ten years after the World Humanitarian Summit, localisation remains a key goal in global humanitarian aid. In this article, Charlotte, Mildmay UK’s International Programme Funding Manager, reflects on progress since the landmark summit and why funding, compliance systems, and global partnerships continue to shape who leads humanitarian work today. She also explains how Mildmay supports locally led healthcare through long-term partnerships.

We wish you all a happy Christmas as we reflect on 40 years since Mildmay’s rebirth as an independent charity, and we look ahead with purpose. From developing new patient pathways at Mildmay Hospital to preparing our new Uganda Health Programme, we remain committed to dignity, specialist care and partnership, made possible by the support of our community.

Many of you will already have read about our recent visit to Uganda in our CEO,Geoff’s blog. which he concluded yesterday. Today, we’re sharing a complementary perspective from Mildmay trustee Dr Peter Brunskill, whose reflections underline why this work, and how we do it, really matters.

On his final days in Uganda, Geoff reflects on meetings with new partners, Programme Board progress, and visits to Mbale, Mbarara and Masaka — including identifying land for a future Mildmay health centre alongside palliative care partners. It’s a hopeful, practical glimpse of how relationships, local leadership and careful planning are shaping Mildmay Uganda’s next chapter.

We reflect on sector-wide uncertainty in international development and highlight the impact on frontline services. Our Uganda Health Programme aims to build five regional centres, strengthening community health, expanding specialist care, and building system resilience. With clear guidance, collaboration, and sustained investment, NGOs like Mildmay can deliver proven solutions where they are most needed.

Our CEO Geoff Coleman shares progress from Mbale: productive meetings with JOY Health Centre and Deliverance Church Mbale, who are gifting land for a new health centre. Site access is in hand; next step is drafting plans to define the plot size and specifications. This careful partnership work is shaping the pilot with local leaders.