Rockefeller Foundation donates USD100,000 for construction of Makerere school of public health centenary building

Kampala – Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) on Thursday received a boost donation worth USD100,000 (about Shs370m) from Rockefeller Foundation; an American private philanthropy organisation.

The donation will be used towards the construction of a new School of Public Health (MakSPH) building in celebration of the University’s centenary in 2023.

This development, follows a visit by the Rockefeller Foundation team which toured the construction site located at Makerere University main campus. The team was led by William Asiko, vice president, Africa region at Rockefeller Foundation who announced the donation of USD100,000.

“As a Foundation, we are excited to re-engage with Makerere University and the School of Public Health. To that end, we are incredibly proud of the strides the School of Public Health has made since its inception. We look forward to continued collaboration with the School and the University at large,” Asiko said.

The Rockefeller Foundation has supported Makerere University School of Public Health for many years including it’s support for the construction of the current home of MakSPH 54 years ago and the establishment of the Master of Public Health (MPH) Program 28 years ago, which was among the first MPH programs on the African continent.

MakSPH appreciated the Rockefeller Foundation for its generous support of public health in Africa and continued partnership towards a healthier Africa. Makerere University School of Public Health is one of the oldest and largest public health training institutions in sub-Saharan Africa. Over the past 15 years, the school has significantly increased student enrolment and staff numbers.

The school offers nine (9) Masters programs and PhD training and is a leading player in public health in the African region with several multi-country, multi-institutional research and capacity building initiatives.

To accommodate this growth, MakSPH has initiated construction of a new building on the Makerere University main campus with an estimated cost of USD10m of the fully fitted building. The School has so far raised USD3.5m from various fundraising drives.

Given its location within a region prone to infectious disease outbreaks of epidemic and pandemic potential, the building will accommodate a centre for disease outbreak prevention, preparedness and response research in addition to other centres of excellence.

“We are extremely grateful to the Rockefeller Foundation for their generosity. Your past financial support has been invaluable to the growth of public health in Uganda, in Africa and globally,” Dr. Rhoda Wanyenze, Professor and Dean of Makerere University School of Public Health.

Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) is a leading public health training and research institution in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of the schools under the College of Health Sciences, a constituent College of Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.

The School conducts research and provides consultation services to the government of Uganda Ministry of Heath, various national and international health organizations, as well as bilateral and multilateral agencies involved in health.

The School provides graduate, undergraduate and in-service training in public health. MakSPH’s major research and capacity building areas are: infectious and non-infectious diseases, sexual, reproductive, maternal and child health, environmental and sustainable health.