DHO’s Concerned About Winding Up of Amref Health Africa’s Saving Lives and Livelihood Project

By Reporter Kizindo Lule

Kiboga, Uganda:
District Health Officers (DHOs) and medical professionals in districts including Kiboga, Nakasongola, Kakumiro, Nakaseke, and Mubende are expressing concern over the conclusion of Amref Health Africa’s activities in their localities.

In an interview, Dr. Kasujja Asuman, Acting DHO of Kiboga District, explained that the Saving Lives and Livelihood Project (SLLP) was a five-year initiative implemented across eight districts. The project was a partnership between the Africa Centers for Disease Control and the Mastercard Foundation, led by Amref Health Africa.

“The project focused on scaling up vaccination across the African continent, aiming to achieve 70% coverage,” Dr. Kasujja said.

“In the eight targeted districts, the project has been responsible for procuring, transporting, and distributing the two prioritized vaccines: malaria and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines,” he added.

Available data shows that 58% of children targeted for malaria vaccination, which began in April 2025, have already been vaccinated. The program, with a budget of $1.4 million, is expected to conclude its activities by December 2025.

“The Saving Lives and Livelihood Project has also sponsored numerous outreach programs, offering a variety of health services free of charge,” said Sister Katusiime Dativa, the Focal Person and In-Charge of the Extended Program on Immunization, as well as a midwife at Lwamata Health Centre III in Kiboga District.

Sister Dativa emphasized, “These outreach programs have been key to health promotion across the districts, bringing essential services closer to the people.”

She expressed concern about the project’s closure: “Ending this program will not only make our work as health professionals more challenging, due to increased disease burden, but it will also increase the number of patients visiting health facilities for treatment and other services. Since outreaches helped reduce this burden, many patients are likely to remain unattended to.”

Namatovu Immelda, a patient who attended an outreach at Kiggundu Nursery and Primary School playground in Kitagenda Village, said, “It has been easier for us to have our children immunized, but when the program closes, some of our children may miss important doses.”