The American Tower Corporation company, ATC Uganda, has donated a fully equipped digital community learning facility at Butabika National Referral Mental Hospital to empower patients undergoing medical rehabilitation and recovery.
The colorful ceremony took place inside the hospital facility over the weekend, where stakeholders attended the official launch of the digital training center.
The center, equipped with 20 fully connected computers and accompanying digital accessories, is supported under a tripartite arrangement. Under this partnership, the land was donated by the hospital, while the Rotary Club of Butabika Royals are the project masterminds, with Finn Church Aid (FCA) serving as the project executor and operator.
The Rotary District 9213 Governor, Geoffrey Kitakule, who was the chief guest, jointly with the ATC Uganda Chief Executive Officer, Dorothy Semanda Kabagambe, and hospital board member Eng. Henry Bidasala Igaga, handed over the fully furnished facility to the Finn Church Aid partnership coordinator, Flora Tumwebaze, for the execution of the daily operations of the center.
Kitakule thanked the leadership of the hospital for honoring and embracing the idea proposed by the Rotary Club of Butabika Royals by donating the land on which the center is built.
He said the land donation was a landmark achievement for all stakeholders, including patients, staff, and members of the surrounding communities who will be the immediate beneficiaries of the project, which will expand their ICT skills training opportunities.
Kitakule observed that, in alignment with the Rotary movement’s agenda of disease prevention and treatment, they are committed to creating a lasting impact on the patients of Butabika and supporting their reintegration into the community.
Dorothy Semanda Kabagambe, on behalf of ATC Uganda, commended the strong lobbying skills employed by the Rotary Club of Butabika Royals, who engaged them to donate the digital tools, while Butabika Hospital provided the land. She said this demonstrated the true spirit of supporting humanity.
The Finn Church Aid Executive Director, Wycliffe Nsheka, represented by Flora Tumwebaze, welcomed the partnership, saying they are privileged to have been given the mandate to manage the day-to-day running of the facility on behalf of Rotary.
She pointed out that the project’s objective is to improve access to digital skills, technology, and connectivity in order to promote awareness about mental health, treatment, and the rehabilitation of people with mental health challenges in the hospital and surrounding communities.
