Rotary awarded £100,000 grant to support dental and vision clinic in Uganda - June 2025

Here in the Isle of Man, we take healthy teeth and good sight for granted. We can prevent and receive treatment for dental and eye conditions because we are able to access essential healthcare services

But this is not the case for everyone. In many areas of Africa, because of the lack of access to healthcare services, preventable dental disease and poor sight are widespread. Such hardships are simply accepted as part and parcel of everyday life including those living in the remote area of Bwindi, South West Uganda.

The £390,000 facility will replace the hospital’s current clinic, which operates from a converted shipping container. The new building aims to improve access to essential dental and eye care services for thousands of people living in the remote Bwindi region.

Construction began in January 2024 and is expected to be completed later this year. The roof was recently installed in April 2025.

On receiving news of the grant, President of the Rotary Club of Rushen & Western Mann, Mark Gilson, said: ‘Dental and eye care is something many of us on the Isle of Man are fortunate to have access to. However in many parts of the world this is not the case and such services can be much harder to reach’.

‘Our Rotary Club has been working over the last few years with partners to secure the funding to allow the Dental Vision Clinic to be constructed in Bwindi. This funding support from the Isle of Man Government and others means that the ongoing construction project can hopefully be completed within the next 12 months.’

Debbie Young, a Manx-born optometrist who has worked at Bwindi Community Hospital with UK charity REACHBwindi, said: ‘I am so grateful to the Isle of Man, led by the Rotary Club of Rushen & Western Mann, for supporting Bwindi Community Hospital.’

‘By allowing us to deliver this much-needed expansion of eye and dental health in Uganda, we can and we will make a real difference to people’s lives.’