Mzungu in the Field Update: Mbale site visit and land discussions
- web81754
- 5 hours ago
- 2 min read
We’re sharing a fresh, on‑the‑ground post from our CEO, Geoff Coleman, reporting practical progress in Mbale - focused on site access and partnership.
“After a seven and a half hour long drive from Kampala to Mbale, we arrived, tired, to the hotel that, interestingly, had no booking for us! Fortunately I always carry copies of the bookings with me and so they quickly allocated us rooms, with an upgrade.
I have found that booking things on the internet is problematic in Africa, and so having paper copies is essential. That said, if the hotel is full then the only thing that they can do is to find you a room in another hotel which may not be of the same standard.
We met with the JOY Health Centre team and had a tour of the site including the land allocated to the new building. The team then sat down with the Lead Pastor from the Deliverance Church Mbale who are gifting the land for the project. It was a very productive meeting and we now have to have plans drawn up so that we can tell them more precisely the size of the plot needed.
Just after mid day and we began our return journey. The temperature is around 32 degrees today and very dry. So long journeys can be very tiring. With a clear road we hope to arrive back at our hotel in Entebbe around seven this evening.
Geoff Coleman
CEO, Mildmay Hospital”
We’ll post further updates as next steps are confirmed. This careful, step‑by‑step work is helping us shape the pilot in Mbale with local partners, ensuring the right site and specifications for the new health centre development.
A Vision for Lasting Impact
The new specialist health centre in Mbale will provide:
High-quality diagnostics and testing
Integrated care for chronic illness and palliative needs
Dedicated services for children with disabilities
Community health outreach and home-based support
Telemedicine links with UK specialists
A platform for training and capacity building led by Mildmay Uganda
Once operational, the centre will be fully managed by Mildmay Uganda - a model that ensures sustainability, local leadership, and long-term impact.
Mzungu, also known as muzungu, mlungu, musungu or musongo, is a Bantu word that means "wanderer" originally pertaining to spirits. The term is currently used in predominantly Swahili speaking nations to refer to foreign people dating back to 18th century. The noun Mzungu or its variants are used in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Comoros, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mayotte, Zambia and in Northern Madagascar (the word changed to "vozongo" in Malagasy, but locals will still understand the word mzungu) dating back to the 18th century.
