Budondo Intercultural Center

The Budondo Intercultural Center provides healthcare to a region of 400,000 people who would otherwise not have access.

EDUCATION

HEALTHCARE

2 PROJECTS
6600 SERVED DIRECTLY

A message from Bernard Mukisa, Founder

“My name is Bernard Mukisa, and together with my wife Teopista, we are proud to share with you the Suubi Health Centre. Our dream itself is very simple — we wish to eliminate deaths from preventable conditions, and to help our community to thrive in the face of difficult economic and environmental realities. Like many entrepreneurs, my story includes a long period of hard work and learning, and now my path is to lead and to drive the process, by being an example and inspiring and encouraging others working on the project to turn their own spoke of the wheel.

I came from a very poor family background, I would have dropped out of school if not for a teacher who offered to pay my school fees. He supported me to train as a primary teacher. Another person helped me get into University. Then another person helped me find a scholarship to study in Russia. At every crossing, there was somebody to help me, and now I can help my community.”

About

On its mission to empower individuals and families to lead healthy and productive lives, BIC’s model is centered around the wellbeing of all people in the community through a three-tier program strategy. The primary program – Suubi Health Center, provides not only access to quality and affordable maternal and child care but also general health services to the public. The second program – Sustainability plan, is increasing locally generated income that powers the operational cost at Suubi and increasing household income among families. The third program – Population, Health and Environment, improves livelihoods among families by improving food security, household income through agriculture, environmental protection through tree planting and soil conservation.

3-Year Goals

  1. Provided quality maternal, neonatal and child care and general health services to 200,000 people.
  2. Elevated 700 families to a model household status
  3. 100% of BIC’s operational cost is covered by locally generated income.

Sustainability Projects

We are building to our 3-year goals through a combination of income-generating projects. Here's what we're developing right now.

The goal of the sustainability program is to generate income to support 100% of the operational cost BIC. Additionally, the program’s interventions create resilient communities by increasing household income and sustaining small business enterprises for families. Among projects include:

The Motorcycle Loan Scheme

BIC purchases motorcycles and loans them out to youth and families. They drive them as taxis for a period of 22 months while making small weekly payments while generating daily household income for their families. At the end of the loan period, the client owns the motorcycle for good.

Truck Transport Services

The project offers transportation services to community members and farmers. Goods such as construction materials and food products, among others, are transported from one place to another for a fee. The truck hires three people who get daily income for their families and profits from the service fee goes towards operations of BIC and Suubi.

The Budondo Community Hall

This is the largest multipurpose building in the region, with a capacity of 1,000 people. It is a space where community members can gather for myriad needs and engage in dialogue over the pressing issues facing their community. It is a safe space for women and girls’ education initiatives. It doubles as a space for entrepreneurial projects, sporting events, film screenings, weddings, conferences, seminars, and more, which generate income for Suubi Health Center’s immediate needs. Additionally, three of the hall’s shop units are used as staff quarters. This hall is intended to be at the heart of the community for generations to come.