A partnership for mothers and newborns

On a Tuesday evening of 7^th July in Muyenga, the new president of the Rotary Club of Kisugu-Victoria View chaired his first weekly meeting (fellowship)and welcomed the UNICEF Representative in Uganda, Dr Robin Nandy.

The club was chartered on 21 April 2016. Ten years on, its record includes support to maternal and child health, most recently through the Oxygen for Life Project in Kalangala implemented alongside the larger Rotary family in Uganda.

The conversation that evening was about mothers and newborns. Uganda has made real progress. Maternal mortality fell from 336 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2016 to 189 in 2022. Under five mortality fell from 64 to 52 per 1,000 live births, infant mortality from 43 to 36 and neonatal mortality from 27 to 22.

The gaps remain stubborn. Only 54 per cent of designated comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care facilities are functional. An estimated 79 per cent of Health Centre IVs and 26 per cent of general hospitals have no functional newborn care unit. Eighty-six per cent of mothers now deliver in a health facility, yet women still die after they have reached care.

About one in four girls aged 15 to 19 has begun childbearing. Adolescent pregnancy accounts for 12 per cent of maternal deaths, and 28 per cent of girls leave school early because of pregnancy.

Rotary brings local presence, professional networks and a culture of service. UNICEF brings mandate, technical expertise, systems reach and partnership with the government. The evening ended with a shared commitment to work together so that more mothers survive childbirth, more newborns get the care they need and every child in Uganda has the chance to survive and thrive.

The evening in pictures

Members of the Rotary Club of Kisugu-Victoria View, guests and partners pose for a group photograph with the UNICEF Representative in Uganda, Dr Robin Nandy, seated centre, at the club’s weekly meeting in Muyenga, Kampala, Uganda. The club was chartered on 21 April 2016 and is marking ten years of service under the theme “Leadership, service and impact at the core".

The UNICEF Representative in Uganda, Dr Robin Nandy, speaks to the Rotary Club of Kisugu-Victoria View in Muyenga, Kampala, Uganda. He set out where partnership could go next, including antenatal and postnatal care, safe delivery, oxygen access, care for small and sick newborns, immunisation outreach and prevention of adolescent pregnancy.

The President of the Rotary Club of Kisugu-Victoria View, Bernard Tabaire (left), presents the club banner to the UNICEF Representative in Uganda, Dr Robin Nandy, in Muyenga, Kampala, Uganda. Exchanging banners is a Rotary tradition that marks a visit and the start of a working relationship.

The President of the Rotary Club of Kisugu- Victoria View, Bernard Tabaire, left, presents the club banner to two sisters who manage Nsambya Babies Home, Sr Teddy Nakyanzi (L) and right is Sr Hellen (R), in Muyenga, Kampala, Uganda. The home cares for abandoned and vulnerable infants.

The UNICEF Representative in Uganda, Dr Robin Nandy, left, presents a token of appreciation to a member of the Rotary Club of Kisugu-Victoria View, Rtn Dorah Abaho, in Muyenga, Kampala, Uganda. On the table behind them is a plaque from the club thanking Dr Nandy for sharing his time and knowledge on maternal and child health.

The UNICEF Representative in Uganda, Dr Robin Nandy, left, presents a token of appreciation to a member of the Rotary Club of Kisugu-Victoria View, Rtn Rosie Kajumba, in Muyenga, Kampala, Uganda.

The UNICEF Representative in Uganda, Dr Robin Nandy, second left, joins the President of the Rotary Club of Kisugu-Victoria View, Bernard Tabaire, second right, and club members to cut a cake marking the club’s first weekly meeting of the 2026-27 Rotary year in Muyenga, Kampala, Uganda.

The UNICEF Representative in Uganda, Dr Robin Nandy, right, speaks with a Rotaractor after addressing the Rotary Club of Kisugu-Victoria View in Muyenga, Kampala, Uganda.