Rukungiri · Uganda
Beyond the wards

A hospital that also built a school, a power grid and a waterfall trail.

Kisiizi has always been more than a hospital — it is the largest employer and one of the largest institutions for miles, and its programmes now reach far past the ward doors.

A community health visit near Kisiizi, a health worker sits with a young child

Health Co-operative Scheme

Grown out of traditional engozi burial groups, this community insurance scheme covers emergency and acute care for an annual premium of $4–6 — the first of its kind in Uganda.

45,000+ members60+ groupsSince 1996
A health worker leads a community outreach session in a village near Kisiizi

School of Nursing & Midwifery

Motto: “Competence and Compassion.” Founded in 1998, the school trains roughly 200 nurses and midwives at a time, taught partly by the hospital’s own western-trained clinicians.

Est. 1998~200 studentsNew girls’ hostel in progress

Primary School

Opened in 1989 to help retain hospital staff, the school now teaches around 350 children including boarders, with specialist teachers supporting students with additional needs, and a sister-school link with Malmö in Sweden.

Est. 1989~350 pupilsNew computer room

Hospital Power Company

A 36-metre fault-line waterfall on the Rushoma river drives two turbines — a 294 kW Ossberger (2009) and a 60 kW Gilkes (1984) — plus diesel backup, feeding an 8km mini-grid to the wards and surrounding villages.

294 kW primary~400 connectionsEst. 1958
Watch: the Hospital Power Company →
Sunset over the banana plantations and hills near Kisiizi Falls

Kisiizi Falls

Once a site of tragedy, the falls are now an eco-tourism destination: a suspension bridge over the gorge, a three-stage zip line, forest and river walks, and a monument marking Kisiizi’s transformation into a place of healing. Keep an eye on the path — chameleons and birdlife are easy to spot along the way.

Zip lineGuest housesOpen to visitors
A mother with her child and a chicken from the nutrition programme, on the ward at Kisiizi

Child Sponsorship

Supports orphaned and highly vulnerable children near Kisiizi with education, health and nutrition — funds are pooled and allocated by need, for around £30 a month per child on average.

From £30/moSince 1995Nursing sponsorships available